Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin Dothan

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin to Dothan is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 96.3 to 83.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $780/mo.

-$14,889
BLS median salary lower in Dothan
602 to 376
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.3:1 to 17.7:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$964
DOL infant care lower / yr in Dothan

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
Favorable
Cost Index: 96.3 → 83.8
Rent Delta: -$780/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 13% lower cost of living
  • + $780/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $15K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 96.3 to 83.8, so each dollar covers more in Dothan (ratio 0.87). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $780/mo ($9,360/yr) from $1,730 in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin to $950 in Dothan.

Dothan leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Dothan sits #67 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin is #337/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $14,889 lower ($67,856 → $52,967). Labor-market size: 1,079,340 tracked jobs at origin vs 54,630 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Alabama scores 75 (B, #5/51) vs Tennessee at 66 (C, #17/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Dothan
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 96.3
RPP 83.8
Dothan
Rent (2BR)
$1,730/mo
$950/mo
Dothan
Wages
$67,856
$52,967
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Crime
602 per 100K
376 per 100K
Dothan
Schools
15.3:1
17.7:1
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Childcare
$7,860/yr
$6,896/yr
Dothan
Environment
1192 violations
538 violations
Dothan

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 · Tennessee
66 C #17/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
36
Destination state · Alabama
75 B #5/51
Income tax
90
Property tax
92
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
20

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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin to see what you'd need to earn in Dothan to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Dothan
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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