Portland-South Portland Cheyenne

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Portland-South Portland to Cheyenne is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 101.9 to 96.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $659/mo.

-$11,028
BLS median salary lower in Cheyenne
102 to 191
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.1:1 to 11.4:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$2,823
DOL infant care lower / yr in Cheyenne

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: 101.9 → 96.5
Rent Delta: -$659/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 5% lower cost of living
  • + $659/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $11K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 101.9 to 96.5, so each dollar covers more in Cheyenne (ratio 0.95). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $659/mo ($7,908/yr) from $1,833 in Portland-South Portland to $1,174 in Cheyenne.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Cheyenne sits #58 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Portland-South Portland is #94/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $11,028 lower ($75,121 → $64,093). Labor-market size: 273,870 tracked jobs at origin vs 42,290 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Wyoming scores 77 (B, #4/51) vs Maine at 61 (C, #27/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Portland-South Portland
Cheyenne
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 101.9
RPP 96.5
Cheyenne
Rent (2BR)
$1,833/mo
$1,174/mo
Cheyenne
Wages
$75,121
$64,093
Portland-South Portland
Crime
102 per 100K
191 per 100K
Portland-South Portland
Schools
11.1:1
11.4:1
Portland-South Portland
Childcare
$11,325/yr
$8,502/yr
Cheyenne
Environment
832 violations
730 violations
Cheyenne

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 · Maine
61 C #27/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
60
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
100
Destination state · Wyoming
77 B #4/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
85
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
92

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 Portland-South Portland to see what you'd need to earn in Cheyenne to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Cheyenne
-

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