Montgomery → Reading
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Montgomery to Reading is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 89.7 to 97.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $559/mo.
- +$5,099
- BLS median salary higher in Reading
- 376 to 250
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.7:1 to 13.6:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
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
- + $5K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Better student-teacher ratios
Cons of Moving
- - 7% higher cost of living
- - $559/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 89.7 to 97.1, so the same paycheck buys less in Reading (ratio 1.08). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $559/mo ($6,708/yr) from $1,016 in Montgomery to $1,575 in Reading.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Reading sits #268 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Montgomery is #101/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,099 higher ($58,388 → $63,487). Labor-market size: 157,200 tracked jobs at origin vs 165,600 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Alabama scores 75 (B, #5/51) vs Pennsylvania at 65 (C, #18/51). 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
- 90
- Property tax
- 92
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 20
- Income tax
- 95
- Property tax
- 58
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 72
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 Montgomery to see what you'd need to earn in Reading 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