Portland-South Portland Daphne-Fairhope-Foley

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Portland-South Portland to Daphne-Fairhope-Foley is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 101.9 to 94.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $488/mo.

-$19,460
BLS median salary lower in Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
102 to 376
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.1:1 to 17.7:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,429
DOL infant care lower / yr in Daphne-Fairhope-Foley

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 → 94.7
Rent Delta: -$488/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 7% lower cost of living
  • + $488/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $19K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 101.9 to 94.7, so each dollar covers more in Daphne-Fairhope-Foley (ratio 0.93). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $488/mo ($5,856/yr) from $1,833 in Portland-South Portland to $1,345 in Daphne-Fairhope-Foley.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Daphne-Fairhope-Foley sits #296 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom 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 $19,460 lower ($75,121 → $55,661). Labor-market size: 273,870 tracked jobs at origin vs 79,420 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Alabama scores 75 (B, #5/51) vs Maine at 61 (C, #27/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Portland-South Portland
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 101.9
RPP 94.7
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
Rent (2BR)
$1,833/mo
$1,345/mo
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
Wages
$75,121
$55,661
Portland-South Portland
Crime
102 per 100K
376 per 100K
Portland-South Portland
Schools
11.1:1
17.7:1
Portland-South Portland
Childcare
$11,325/yr
$6,896/yr
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
Environment
832 violations
538 violations
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley

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 · 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 Portland-South Portland to see what you'd need to earn in Daphne-Fairhope-Foley to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
-

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