Yakima Albany

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Yakima to Albany is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 95.5 to 102.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $126/mo.

-$2,067
BLS median salary lower in Albany
329 to 335
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.6:1 to 17.6:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,348
DOL infant care lower / yr in Albany

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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 95.5 → 102.1
Rent Delta: +$126/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - 7% higher cost of living
  • - $126/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - $2K lower median salary

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 95.5 to 102.1, so the same paycheck buys less in Albany (ratio 1.07). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $126/mo ($1,512/yr) from $1,374 in Yakima to $1,500 in Albany.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Albany sits #281 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Yakima is #202/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,067 lower ($70,002 → $67,935). Labor-market size: 90,310 tracked jobs at origin vs 42,220 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Washington 38 (F, #51/51) vs Oregon 41 (F, #49/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Yakima
Albany
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 95.5
RPP 102.1
Yakima
Rent (2BR)
$1,374/mo
$1,500/mo
Yakima
Wages
$70,002
$67,935
Yakima
Crime
329 per 100K
335 per 100K
Yakima
Schools
17.6:1
17.6:1
Tie
Childcare
$15,987/yr
$12,639/yr
Albany
Environment
2879 violations
2683 violations
Albany

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 · Washington
38 F #51/51
Income tax
63
Property tax
63
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
18
Destination state · Oregon
41 F #49/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
64
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
14

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 Yakima to see what you'd need to earn in Albany to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Albany
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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