Texarkana → Charleston
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Texarkana to Charleston is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 84.0 to 88.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $11/mo.
- +$4,975
- BLS median salary higher in Charleston
- 395 to 242
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.7:1 to 13.1:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $1,408
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Charleston
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
- + $5K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - 5% higher cost of living
- - More expensive childcare
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 84.0 to 88.7, so the same paycheck buys less in Charleston (ratio 1.06). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($880 → $869); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.
Charleston leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Charleston sits #3 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Texarkana is #152/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,975 higher ($56,886 → $61,861). Labor-market size: 50,920 tracked jobs at origin vs 94,760 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: West Virginia scores 82 (A, #2/51) vs Texas at 65 (C, #19/51). 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
- 55
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 44
- Income tax
- 80
- Property tax
- 86
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 64
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 Texarkana to see what you'd need to earn in Charleston to maintain the same purchasing power.
Charleston metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
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