Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater → Lawrence
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater to Lawrence is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.9 to 90.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $795/mo.
- -$2,263
- BLS median salary lower in Lawrence
- 210 to 456
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.8:1 to 13.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $4,722
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Lawrence
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.
Pros of Moving
- + 11% lower cost of living
- + $795/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + More affordable childcare
Cons of Moving
- - $2K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 100.9 to 90.2, so each dollar covers more in Lawrence (ratio 0.89). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $795/mo ($9,540/yr) from $1,977 in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater to $1,182 in Lawrence.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Lawrence sits #212 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater is #338/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,263 lower ($68,404 → $66,141). Labor-market size: 1,402,180 tracked jobs at origin vs 44,630 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Florida 62 (C, #23/51) vs Kansas 63 (C, #21/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 67
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 12
- Income tax
- 68
- Property tax
- 61
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 54
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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater to see what you'd need to earn in Lawrence to maintain the same purchasing power.
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