Prescott Valley-Prescott Pinehurst-Southern Pines

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Prescott Valley-Prescott to Pinehurst-Southern Pines is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.3 to 88.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $279/mo.

-$2,810
BLS median salary lower in Pinehurst-Southern Pines
429 to 365
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17:1 to 15.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$1,814
DOL infant care lower / yr in Pinehurst-Southern Pines

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
Strongly Favorable
Cost Index: 98.3 → 88.3
Rent Delta: -$279/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 10% lower cost of living
  • + $279/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $3K lower median salary

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 98.3 to 88.3, so each dollar covers more in Pinehurst-Southern Pines (ratio 0.90). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $279/mo ($3,348/yr) from $1,637 in Prescott Valley-Prescott to $1,358 in Pinehurst-Southern Pines.

Pinehurst-Southern Pines leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Pinehurst-Southern Pines sits #138 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Prescott Valley-Prescott is #345/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,810 lower ($61,824 → $59,014). Labor-market size: 65,740 tracked jobs at origin vs 36,690 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: North Carolina scores 68 (C, #13/51) vs Arizona at 53 (D, #37/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Prescott Valley-Prescott
Pinehurst-Southern Pines
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 98.3
RPP 88.3
Pinehurst-Southern Pines
Rent (2BR)
$1,637/mo
$1,358/mo
Pinehurst-Southern Pines
Wages
$61,824
$59,014
Prescott Valley-Prescott
Crime
429 per 100K
365 per 100K
Pinehurst-Southern Pines
Schools
17:1
15.8:1
Pinehurst-Southern Pines
Childcare
$11,301/yr
$9,487/yr
Pinehurst-Southern Pines
Environment
5259 violations
3120 violations
Pinehurst-Southern Pines

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 · Arizona
53 D #37/51
Income tax
82
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
22
Destination state · North Carolina
68 C #13/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
66
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
30

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 Prescott Valley-Prescott to see what you'd need to earn in Pinehurst-Southern Pines to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Pinehurst-Southern Pines
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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