Santa Fe Elizabethtown

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Santa Fe to Elizabethtown is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.8 to 90.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $629/mo.

-$5,829
BLS median salary lower in Elizabethtown
697 to 225
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14:1 to 15.2:1
NCES student-teacher ratio

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
Favorable
Cost Index: 98.8 → 90.6
Rent Delta: -$629/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 8% lower cost of living
  • + $629/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $6K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 98.8 to 90.6, so each dollar covers more in Elizabethtown (ratio 0.92). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $629/mo ($7,548/yr) from $1,685 in Santa Fe to $1,056 in Elizabethtown.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 2 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Elizabethtown sits #64 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Santa Fe is #343/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,829 lower ($66,448 → $60,619). Labor-market size: 55,730 tracked jobs at origin vs 46,020 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Kentucky scores 68 (C, #11/51) vs New Mexico at 59 (D, #28/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Santa Fe
Elizabethtown
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 98.8
RPP 90.6
Elizabethtown
Rent (2BR)
$1,685/mo
$1,056/mo
Elizabethtown
Wages
$66,448
$60,619
Santa Fe
Crime
697 per 100K
225 per 100K
Elizabethtown
Schools
14:1
15.2:1
Santa Fe
Childcare
N/A
$7,238/yr
Tie
Environment
8034 violations
1864 violations
Elizabethtown

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 · New Mexico
59 D #28/51
Income tax
78
Property tax
77
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
50
Destination state · Kentucky
68 C #11/51
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 Santa Fe to see what you'd need to earn in Elizabethtown to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Elizabethtown
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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