Portland-South Portland Hammond

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Portland-South Portland to Hammond is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 101.9 to 84.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $734/mo.

-$19,735
BLS median salary lower in Hammond
102 to 410
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.1:1 to 16.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,929
DOL infant care lower / yr in Hammond

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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 101.9 → 84.5
Rent Delta: -$734/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 17% lower cost of living
  • + $734/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $20K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 101.9 to 84.5, so each dollar covers more in Hammond (ratio 0.83). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $734/mo ($8,808/yr) from $1,833 in Portland-South Portland to $1,099 in Hammond.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Hammond sits #261 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Portland-South Portland is #94/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $19,735 lower ($75,121 → $55,386). Labor-market size: 273,870 tracked jobs at origin vs 41,250 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Maine 61 (C, #27/51) vs Louisiana 67 (C, #15/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Portland-South Portland
Hammond
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 101.9
RPP 84.5
Hammond
Rent (2BR)
$1,833/mo
$1,099/mo
Hammond
Wages
$75,121
$55,386
Portland-South Portland
Crime
102 per 100K
410 per 100K
Portland-South Portland
Schools
11.1:1
16.8:1
Portland-South Portland
Childcare
$11,325/yr
$7,396/yr
Hammond
Environment
832 violations
14536 violations
Portland-South Portland

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 · Louisiana
67 C #15/51
Income tax
78
Property tax
79
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
8

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 Hammond to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Hammond
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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