Punta Gorda → Ames
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Punta Gorda to Ames is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.5 to 88.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $444/mo.
- +$4,170
- BLS median salary higher in Ames
- 210 to 238
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.8:1 to 14.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $2,199
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Ames
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.
Pros of Moving
- + 12% lower cost of living
- + $444/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + $4K higher median salary
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + More affordable childcare
- + Fewer environmental violations
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 100.5 to 88.8, so each dollar covers more in Ames (ratio 0.88). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $444/mo ($5,328/yr) from $1,470 in Punta Gorda to $1,026 in Ames.
Ames leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Ames sits #15 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Punta Gorda is #340/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,170 higher ($60,552 → $64,722). Labor-market size: 49,740 tracked jobs at origin vs 48,070 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Iowa scores 70 (B, #8/51) vs Florida at 62 (C, #23/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 67
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 12
- Income tax
- 85
- Property tax
- 58
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 42
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 Punta Gorda to see what you'd need to earn in Ames to maintain the same purchasing power.
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