St. George Dothan

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from St. George to Dothan is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 97.3 to 83.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $625/mo.

-$5,943
BLS median salary lower in Dothan
229 to 376
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
21.4:1 to 17.7:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,932
DOL infant care lower / yr in Dothan

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: 97.3 → 83.8
Rent Delta: -$625/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 13% lower cost of living
  • + $625/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $6K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 97.3 to 83.8, so each dollar covers more in Dothan (ratio 0.86). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $625/mo ($7,500/yr) from $1,575 in St. George to $950 in Dothan.

Dothan leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Dothan sits #67 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). St. George is #311/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,943 lower ($58,910 → $52,967). Labor-market size: 83,630 tracked jobs at origin vs 54,630 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Alabama scores 75 (B, #5/51) vs Utah at 53 (D, #40/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
St. George
Dothan
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 97.3
RPP 83.8
Dothan
Rent (2BR)
$1,575/mo
$950/mo
Dothan
Wages
$58,910
$52,967
St. George
Crime
229 per 100K
376 per 100K
St. George
Schools
21.4:1
17.7:1
Dothan
Childcare
$11,828/yr
$6,896/yr
Dothan
Environment
1172 violations
538 violations
Dothan

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 · Utah
53 D #40/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
83
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
0
Destination state · Alabama
75 B #5/51
Income tax
90
Property tax
92
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
20

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. George to see what you'd need to earn in Dothan to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Dothan
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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