Santa Rosa-Petaluma Sumter

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Santa Rosa-Petaluma to Sumter is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 107.8 to 88.0 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $1,551/mo.

-$24,104
BLS median salary lower in Sumter
477 to 439
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
21.5:1 to 14.3:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$10,188
DOL infant care lower / yr in Sumter

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
Strongly Favorable
Cost Index: 107.8 → 88.0
Rent Delta: -$1,551/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 20% lower cost of living
  • + $1551/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $24K lower median salary

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 107.8 to 88.0, so each dollar covers more in Sumter (ratio 0.82). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $1,551/mo ($18,612/yr) from $2,827 in Santa Rosa-Petaluma to $1,276 in Sumter.

Sumter leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Sumter sits #11 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Santa Rosa-Petaluma is #358/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $24,104 lower ($80,131 → $56,027). Labor-market size: 195,580 tracked jobs at origin vs 28,110 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: South Carolina scores 80 (A, #3/51) vs California at 40 (F, #50/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
Sumter
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 107.8
RPP 88.0
Sumter
Rent (2BR)
$2,827/mo
$1,276/mo
Sumter
Wages
$80,131
$56,027
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
Crime
477 per 100K
439 per 100K
Sumter
Schools
21.5:1
14.3:1
Sumter
Childcare
$17,920/yr
$7,732/yr
Sumter
Environment
17705 violations
720 violations
Sumter

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 · California
40 F #50/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
72
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
4
Destination state · South Carolina
80 A #3/51
Income tax
85
Property tax
87
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
56

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 Rosa-Petaluma to see what you'd need to earn in Sumter to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Sumter
-

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