Tuscaloosa → Kingston
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Tuscaloosa to Kingston is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 87.7 to 100.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $678/mo.
- +$8,707
- BLS median salary higher in Kingston
- 376 to 380
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.7:1 to 11.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $6,973
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Kingston
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
- + $9K higher median salary
- + Better student-teacher ratios
Cons of Moving
- - 13% higher cost of living
- - $678/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - More expensive childcare
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 87.7 to 100.7, so the same paycheck buys less in Kingston (ratio 1.15). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $678/mo ($8,136/yr) from $1,140 in Tuscaloosa to $1,818 in Kingston.
Tuscaloosa still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Kingston sits #330 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Tuscaloosa is #57/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $8,707 higher ($58,026 → $66,733). Labor-market size: 96,660 tracked jobs at origin vs 52,520 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Alabama scores 75 (B, #5/51) vs New York at 46 (F, #46/51). 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
- 90
- Property tax
- 92
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 20
- Income tax
- 80
- Property tax
- 48
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 96
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 Tuscaloosa to see what you'd need to earn in Kingston 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