Sumter → Burlington-South Burlington
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Pros of Moving
- + $22K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Better student-teacher ratios
Cons of Moving
- - 13% higher cost of living
- - $864/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - More environmental violations
Moving from Sumter to Burlington-South Burlington shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 88.0 to 100.9 (100 = US average), so a Sumter salary needs to be multiplied by 1.15 to hold the same purchasing power in Burlington-South Burlington. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,276/month in Sumter to $2,140/month in Burlington-South Burlington - a higher monthly bill of $864, or $10,368/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.
Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $56,027 in Sumter versus $78,385 in Burlington-South Burlington - a raw gap of $22,358 higher. The Burlington-South Burlington labor market has 108,730 tracked jobs against 28,110 in Sumter, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.
Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Sumter and Burlington-South Burlington are 439 and 225 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 14.3:1 at origin versus 11.9:1 at destination. Our composite verdict - Neutral — Depends on Priorities - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Sumter to see what you'd need to earn in Burlington-South Burlington to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Burlington-South Burlington more expensive than Sumter?
What are salaries like in Burlington-South Burlington compared to Sumter?
Is Burlington-South Burlington safer than Sumter?
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What does the "Neutral — Depends on Priorities" verdict mean?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.