Prescott Valley-Prescott → Yakima
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Pros of Moving
- + $263/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + $8K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - More expensive childcare
Moving from Prescott Valley-Prescott to Yakima shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 98.3 to 95.5 (100 = US average), so a Prescott Valley-Prescott salary needs to be multiplied by 0.97 to hold the same purchasing power in Yakima. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,637/month in Prescott Valley-Prescott to $1,374/month in Yakima - a lower monthly bill of $263, or $3,156/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 $61,824 in Prescott Valley-Prescott versus $70,002 in Yakima - a raw gap of $8,178 higher. The Yakima labor market has 90,310 tracked jobs against 65,740 in Prescott Valley-Prescott, 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 Prescott Valley-Prescott and Yakima are 429 and 329 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 17:1 at origin versus 17.6:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $11,301/year in Prescott Valley-Prescott versus $15,987/year in Yakima. Our composite verdict - Strongly Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Prescott Valley-Prescott to see what you'd need to earn in Yakima to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yakima more expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott?
What are salaries like in Yakima compared to Prescott Valley-Prescott?
Is Yakima safer than Prescott Valley-Prescott?
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What does the "Strongly Favorable" verdict mean?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.