Waterloo-Cedar Falls → Providence-Warwick
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Waterloo-Cedar Falls to Providence-Warwick is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 87.1 to 101.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $476/mo.
- +$16,244
- BLS median salary higher in Providence-Warwick
- 238 to 155
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.8:1 to 13.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $7,127
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Providence-Warwick
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
- + $16K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - 15% higher cost of living
- - $476/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - More expensive childcare
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 87.1 to 101.8, so the same paycheck buys less in Providence-Warwick (ratio 1.17). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $476/mo ($5,712/yr) from $1,051 in Waterloo-Cedar Falls to $1,527 in Providence-Warwick.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Providence-Warwick sits #68 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Waterloo-Cedar Falls is #66/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $16,244 higher ($61,344 → $77,588). Labor-market size: 77,420 tracked jobs at origin vs 683,510 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Iowa scores 70 (B, #8/51) vs Rhode Island at 54 (D, #35/51). 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
- 85
- Property tax
- 58
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 42
- Income tax
- 68
- Property tax
- 53
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 74
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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls to see what you'd need to earn in Providence-Warwick to maintain the same purchasing power.
Providence-Warwick 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