Yakima Provo-Orem-Lehi

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Yakima to Provo-Orem-Lehi is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 95.5 to 98.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $86/mo.

-$6,146
BLS median salary lower in Provo-Orem-Lehi
329 to 229
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.6:1 to 21.4:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,159
DOL infant care lower / yr in Provo-Orem-Lehi

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
Neutral, depends on priorities
Cost Index: 95.5 → 98.2
Rent Delta: +$86/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $86/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - $6K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 95.5 to 98.2 (ratio 1.03), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $86/mo ($1,032/yr) from $1,374 in Yakima to $1,460 in Provo-Orem-Lehi.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Provo-Orem-Lehi sits #339 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Yakima is #202/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,146 lower ($70,002 → $63,856). Labor-market size: 90,310 tracked jobs at origin vs 293,200 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Utah scores 53 (D, #40/51) vs Washington at 38 (F, #51/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Yakima
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 95.5
RPP 98.2
Yakima
Rent (2BR)
$1,374/mo
$1,460/mo
Yakima
Wages
$70,002
$63,856
Yakima
Crime
329 per 100K
229 per 100K
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Schools
17.6:1
21.4:1
Yakima
Childcare
$15,987/yr
$11,828/yr
Provo-Orem-Lehi
Environment
2879 violations
1172 violations
Provo-Orem-Lehi

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 · Utah
53 D #40/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
83
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
0

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 Provo-Orem-Lehi to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Provo-Orem-Lehi
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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