Portland-South Portland → Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Portland-South Portland to Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 101.9 to 97.0 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $48/mo.
- -$8,506
- BLS median salary lower in Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin
- 102 to 210
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 11.1:1 to 17.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $820
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin
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.
Pros of Moving
- + 5% lower cost of living
Cons of Moving
- - $9K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 101.9 to 97.0 (ratio 0.95), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,833 → $1,785); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin sits #211 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Portland-South Portland is #94/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $8,506 lower ($75,121 → $66,615). Labor-market size: 273,870 tracked jobs at origin vs 119,420 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Maine 61 (C, #27/51) vs Florida 62 (C, #23/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 68
- Property tax
- 60
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 100
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 67
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 12
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 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin to maintain the same purchasing power.
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
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