Port St. Lucie St. Cloud

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Port St. Lucie to St. Cloud is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.2 to 87.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $551/mo.

+$10,658
BLS median salary higher in St. Cloud
210 to 259
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.8:1 to 15.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$1,217
DOL infant care higher / yr in St. Cloud

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
Strongly Favorable
Cost Index: 100.2 → 87.6
Rent Delta: -$551/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 13% lower cost of living
  • + $551/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + $11K higher median salary
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 100.2 to 87.6, so each dollar covers more in St. Cloud (ratio 0.87). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $551/mo ($6,612/yr) from $1,757 in Port St. Lucie to $1,206 in St. Cloud.

St. Cloud leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. St. Cloud sits #40 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Port St. Lucie is #306/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $10,658 higher ($62,013 → $72,671). Labor-market size: 160,790 tracked jobs at origin vs 96,960 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Florida scores 62 (C, #23/51) vs Minnesota at 49 (F, #43/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Port St. Lucie
St. Cloud
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 100.2
RPP 87.6
St. Cloud
Rent (2BR)
$1,757/mo
$1,206/mo
St. Cloud
Wages
$62,013
$72,671
St. Cloud
Crime
210 per 100K
259 per 100K
Port St. Lucie
Schools
17.8:1
15.8:1
St. Cloud
Childcare
$10,505/yr
$11,722/yr
Port St. Lucie
Environment
2736 violations
1033 violations
St. Cloud

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 · Florida
62 C #23/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
67
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
12
Destination state · Minnesota
49 F #43/51
Income tax
60
Property tax
62
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
34

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 Port St. Lucie to see what you'd need to earn in St. Cloud to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in St. Cloud
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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