Rapid City → Lexington-Fayette
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Rapid City to Lexington-Fayette is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 89.2 to 92.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $99/mo.
- +$7,489
- BLS median salary higher in Lexington-Fayette
- 320 to 225
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 13.6:1 to 15.2:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $643
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Lexington-Fayette
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
- + $7K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
Cons of Moving
- - 4% higher cost of living
- - $99/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 89.2 to 92.9 (ratio 1.04), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $99/mo ($1,188/yr) from $1,173 in Rapid City to $1,272 in Lexington-Fayette.
Rapid City still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Lexington-Fayette sits #150 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Rapid City is #230/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $7,489 higher ($61,147 → $68,636). Labor-market size: 68,240 tracked jobs at origin vs 274,970 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: South Dakota 73 (B, #7/51) vs Kentucky 68 (C, #11/51). 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
- 64
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 70
- Income tax
- 72
- Property tax
- 73
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 38
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 Rapid City to see what you'd need to earn in Lexington-Fayette to maintain the same purchasing power.
Lexington-Fayette metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
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