St. Cloud Pocatello

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from St. Cloud to Pocatello is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 87.6 to 88.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $33/mo.

-$13,404
BLS median salary lower in Pocatello
259 to 235
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.8:1 to 17.1:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,407
DOL infant care lower / yr in Pocatello

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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 87.6 → 88.9
Rent Delta: -$33/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $13K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 87.6 to 88.9 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,206 → $1,173); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Pocatello sits #92 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). St. Cloud is #40/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $13,404 lower ($72,671 → $59,267). Labor-market size: 96,960 tracked jobs at origin vs 29,080 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Idaho scores 58 (D, #30/51) vs Minnesota at 49 (F, #43/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
St. Cloud
Pocatello
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 87.6
RPP 88.9
St. Cloud
Rent (2BR)
$1,206/mo
$1,173/mo
Pocatello
Wages
$72,671
$59,267
St. Cloud
Crime
259 per 100K
235 per 100K
Pocatello
Schools
15.8:1
17.1:1
St. Cloud
Childcare
$11,722/yr
$7,315/yr
Pocatello
Environment
1033 violations
2331 violations
St. Cloud

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 · Minnesota
49 F #43/51
Income tax
60
Property tax
62
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
34
Destination state · Idaho
58 D #30/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
76
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
24

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 St. Cloud to see what you'd need to earn in Pocatello to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Pocatello
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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