Portland-South Portland → College Station-Bryan

Moving from Portland-South Portland to College Station-Bryan shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 101.9 to 91.0 (100 = US average), so a Portland-South Portland salary needs to be multiplied by 0.89 to hold the same purchasing power in College Station-Bryan. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,833/month in Portland-South Portland to $1,186/month in College Station-Bryan - a lower monthly bill of $647, or $7,764/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.

Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $75,121 in Portland-South Portland versus $62,191 in College Station-Bryan - a raw gap of $12,930 lower. The College Station-Bryan labor market has 118,500 tracked jobs against 273,870 in Portland-South Portland, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.

Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Portland-South Portland and College Station-Bryan are 102 and 395 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 11.1:1 at origin versus 14.7:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $11,325/year in Portland-South Portland versus $7,566/year in College Station-Bryan. Our composite verdict - Less Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.