Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach → Billings
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach to Billings is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 114.2 to 93.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $916/mo.
- -$4,103
- BLS median salary lower in Billings
- 210 to 426
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.8:1 to 11.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $961
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Billings
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.
Pros of Moving
- + 21% lower cost of living
- + $916/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $4K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 114.2 to 93.5, so each dollar covers more in Billings (ratio 0.82). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $916/mo ($10,992/yr) from $2,333 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach to $1,417 in Billings.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Billings sits #188 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach is #361/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,103 lower ($68,325 → $64,222). Labor-market size: 2,720,630 tracked jobs at origin vs 86,460 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Florida scores 62 (C, #23/51) vs Montana at 53 (D, #38/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 67
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 12
- Income tax
- 62
- Property tax
- 68
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 82
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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach to see what you'd need to earn in Billings to maintain the same purchasing power.
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