Rome Walla Walla

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Rome to Walla Walla is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 90.2 to 98.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $358/mo.

+$11,583
BLS median salary higher in Walla Walla
300 to 329
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14.4:1 to 17.6:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$9,396
DOL infant care higher / yr in Walla Walla

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: 90.2 → 98.5
Rent Delta: +$358/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $12K higher median salary

Cons of Moving

  • - 8% higher cost of living
  • - $358/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 90.2 to 98.5, so the same paycheck buys less in Walla Walla (ratio 1.09). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $358/mo ($4,296/yr) from $1,192 in Rome to $1,550 in Walla Walla.

Rome still leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Walla Walla sits #267 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Rome is #71/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $11,583 higher ($59,418 → $71,001). Labor-market size: 36,420 tracked jobs at origin vs 19,680 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Georgia scores 68 (C, #10/51) vs Washington at 38 (F, #51/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Rome
Walla Walla
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 90.2
RPP 98.5
Rome
Rent (2BR)
$1,192/mo
$1,550/mo
Rome
Wages
$59,418
$71,001
Walla Walla
Crime
300 per 100K
329 per 100K
Rome
Schools
14.4:1
17.6:1
Rome
Childcare
$6,591/yr
$15,987/yr
Rome
Environment
2771 violations
2879 violations
Rome

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 · Georgia
68 C #10/51
Income tax
88
Property tax
74
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
48
Destination state · Washington
38 F #51/51
Income tax
63
Property tax
63
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
18

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 Rome to see what you'd need to earn in Walla Walla to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Walla Walla
-

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