Mankato Odessa

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Mankato to Odessa is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 91.0 to 93.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $424/mo.

-$7,190
BLS median salary lower in Odessa
259 to 395
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.8:1 to 14.7:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,156
DOL infant care lower / yr in Odessa

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 91.0 → 93.9
Rent Delta: +$424/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $424/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - $7K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 91.0 to 93.9 (ratio 1.03), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $424/mo ($5,088/yr) from $1,171 in Mankato to $1,595 in Odessa.

Mankato still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Odessa sits #289 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Mankato is #93/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $7,190 lower ($70,136 → $62,946). Labor-market size: 48,900 tracked jobs at origin vs 73,580 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Texas scores 65 (C, #19/51) vs Minnesota at 49 (F, #43/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Mankato
Odessa
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 91.0
RPP 93.9
Mankato
Rent (2BR)
$1,171/mo
$1,595/mo
Mankato
Wages
$70,136
$62,946
Mankato
Crime
259 per 100K
395 per 100K
Mankato
Schools
15.8:1
14.7:1
Odessa
Childcare
$11,722/yr
$7,566/yr
Odessa
Environment
1033 violations
35693 violations
Mankato

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Minnesota
49 F #43/51
Income tax
60
Property tax
62
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
34
Destination state · Texas
65 C #19/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
55
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
44

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Mankato to see what you'd need to earn in Odessa to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Odessa
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026