Punta Gorda Monroe

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Punta Gorda to Monroe is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.5 to 83.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $636/mo.

-$6,334
BLS median salary lower in Monroe
210 to 410
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.8:1 to 16.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,109
DOL infant care lower / yr in Monroe

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
Neutral, depends on priorities
Cost Index: 100.5 → 83.6
Rent Delta: -$636/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 17% lower cost of living
  • + $636/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $6K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 100.5 to 83.6, so each dollar covers more in Monroe (ratio 0.83). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $636/mo ($7,632/yr) from $1,470 in Punta Gorda to $834 in Monroe.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Monroe sits #119 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Punta Gorda is #340/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,334 lower ($60,552 → $54,218). Labor-market size: 49,740 tracked jobs at origin vs 79,300 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Florida 62 (C, #23/51) vs Louisiana 67 (C, #15/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Punta Gorda
Monroe
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 100.5
RPP 83.6
Monroe
Rent (2BR)
$1,470/mo
$834/mo
Monroe
Wages
$60,552
$54,218
Punta Gorda
Crime
210 per 100K
410 per 100K
Punta Gorda
Schools
17.8:1
16.8:1
Monroe
Childcare
$10,505/yr
$7,396/yr
Monroe
Environment
2736 violations
14536 violations
Punta Gorda

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 · Florida
62 C #23/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
67
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
12
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 Punta Gorda to see what you'd need to earn in Monroe to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Monroe
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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