Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Rome

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Washington-Arlington-Alexandria to Rome is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 108.9 to 90.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $1,054/mo.

-$23,326
BLS median salary lower in Rome
1015 to 300
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
12.3:1 to 14.4:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$18,889
DOL infant care lower / yr in Rome

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
Favorable
Cost Index: 108.9 → 90.2
Rent Delta: -$1,054/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 19% lower cost of living
  • + $1054/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $23K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 108.9 to 90.2, so each dollar covers more in Rome (ratio 0.83). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $1,054/mo ($12,648/yr) from $2,246 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria to $1,192 in Rome.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Rome sits #71 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is #110/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $23,326 lower ($82,744 → $59,418). Labor-market size: 3,082,600 tracked jobs at origin vs 36,420 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: District of Columbia 61 (C, #26/51) vs Georgia 68 (C, #10/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Rome
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 108.9
RPP 90.2
Rome
Rent (2BR)
$2,246/mo
$1,192/mo
Rome
Wages
$82,744
$59,418
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Crime
1015 per 100K
300 per 100K
Rome
Schools
12.3:1
14.4:1
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Childcare
$25,480/yr
$6,591/yr
Rome
Environment
38 violations
2771 violations
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria

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 · District of Columbia
61 C #26/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
72
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
90
Destination state · Georgia
68 C #10/51
Income tax
88
Property tax
74
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
48

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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria to see what you'd need to earn in Rome to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Rome
-

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