Provo-Orem-Lehi Fresno

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Provo-Orem-Lehi to Fresno is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.2 to 102.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $204/mo.

+$9,675
BLS median salary higher in Fresno
229 to 477
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
21.4:1 to 21.5:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$6,092
DOL infant care higher / yr in Fresno

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
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 98.2 → 102.2
Rent Delta: +$204/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $10K higher median salary

Cons of Moving

  • - 4% higher cost of living
  • - $204/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More expensive childcare
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 98.2 to 102.2 (ratio 1.04), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $204/mo ($2,448/yr) from $1,460 in Provo-Orem-Lehi to $1,664 in Fresno.

Provo-Orem-Lehi still leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Fresno sits #373 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Provo-Orem-Lehi is #339/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $9,675 higher ($63,856 → $73,531). Labor-market size: 293,200 tracked jobs at origin vs 469,260 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Utah scores 53 (D, #40/51) vs California at 40 (F, #50/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Fresno
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 98.2
RPP 102.2
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Rent (2BR)
$1,460/mo
$1,664/mo
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Wages
$63,856
$73,531
Fresno
Crime
229 per 100K
477 per 100K
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Schools
21.4:1
21.5:1
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Childcare
$11,828/yr
$17,920/yr
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Environment
1172 violations
17705 violations
Provo-Orem-Lehi

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 · Utah
53 D #40/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
83
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
0
Destination state · California
40 F #50/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
72
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
4

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 Provo-Orem-Lehi to see what you'd need to earn in Fresno to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Fresno
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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