Owensboro Montgomery

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Owensboro to Montgomery is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 88.6 to 89.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $94/mo.

-$1,193
BLS median salary lower in Montgomery
225 to 376
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.2:1 to 17.7:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$342
DOL infant care lower / yr in Montgomery

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
Neutral, depends on priorities
Cost Index: 88.6 → 89.7
Rent Delta: -$94/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $94/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 88.6 to 89.7 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $94/mo ($1,128/yr) from $1,110 in Owensboro to $1,016 in Montgomery.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Montgomery sits #101 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Owensboro is #106/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,193 lower ($59,581 → $58,388). Labor-market size: 41,400 tracked jobs at origin vs 157,200 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Kentucky 68 (C, #11/51) vs Alabama 75 (B, #5/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Owensboro
Montgomery
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 88.6
RPP 89.7
Owensboro
Rent (2BR)
$1,110/mo
$1,016/mo
Montgomery
Wages
$59,581
$58,388
Owensboro
Crime
225 per 100K
376 per 100K
Owensboro
Schools
15.2:1
17.7:1
Owensboro
Childcare
$7,238/yr
$6,896/yr
Montgomery
Environment
1864 violations
538 violations
Montgomery

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 · Kentucky
68 C #11/51
Income tax
72
Property tax
73
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
38
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 Owensboro to see what you'd need to earn in Montgomery to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Montgomery
-

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