Midland Salt Lake City-Murray

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Midland to Salt Lake City-Murray is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 91.9 to 100.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $554/mo.

+$2,750
BLS median salary higher in Salt Lake City-Murray
431 to 229
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.5:1 to 21.4:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,384
DOL infant care higher / yr in Salt Lake City-Murray

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: 91.9 → 100.9
Rent Delta: +$554/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $3K higher median salary
  • + Lower violent crime rate

Cons of Moving

  • - 9% higher cost of living
  • - $554/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 91.9 to 100.9, so the same paycheck buys less in Salt Lake City-Murray (ratio 1.10). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $554/mo ($6,648/yr) from $1,193 in Midland to $1,747 in Salt Lake City-Murray.

Midland still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Salt Lake City-Murray sits #342 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Midland is #122/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,750 higher ($67,285 → $70,035). Labor-market size: 29,130 tracked jobs at origin vs 790,120 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Michigan 49 (F, #42/51) vs Utah 53 (D, #40/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Midland
Salt Lake City-Murray
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 91.9
RPP 100.9
Midland
Rent (2BR)
$1,193/mo
$1,747/mo
Midland
Wages
$67,285
$70,035
Salt Lake City-Murray
Crime
431 per 100K
229 per 100K
Salt Lake City-Murray
Schools
17.5:1
21.4:1
Midland
Childcare
$7,444/yr
$11,828/yr
Midland
Environment
1120 violations
1172 violations
Midland

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 · Michigan
49 F #42/51
Income tax
72
Property tax
59
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
16
Destination state · Utah
53 D #40/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
83
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
0

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 Midland to see what you'd need to earn in Salt Lake City-Murray to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Salt Lake City-Murray
-

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