Methodology & data sources
We build relocation decisions on public, authority-sourced data — not crowd-guessed prices. This page documents each source and, importantly, its resolution: whether a figure is specific to a place, a metro, or a whole state.
Resolution: place vs metro vs state
Not every number varies at the same geographic level. On our place (city/suburb) pages we tag every row:
- local — specific to that place, from Census ACS (income, home value, rent, property-tax rate, unemployment, growth, commute, school score).
- metro-area — measured at the metro (CBSA) level and inherited by its places (cost-of-living index, Zillow housing, air quality, climate, recreation).
- state — a statewide average applied to every place in the state (most taxes, insurance, utilities, healthcare/childcare, and — currently — crime).
We show this because false precision erodes trust. Where a figure is a state average, we say so rather than dressing it up as local.
Sources by dimension
| Dimension | Source | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living & grocery index | BEA Regional Price Parities | Metro |
| Home price, rent, inventory, days-on-market, appreciation | Zillow | Metro |
| Household income, earnings, home value, property tax, unemployment, population growth, commute | US Census ACS 5-year | Metro & place |
| School score (1–10) | NCES EDFacts district proficiency | Place (district) |
| Electricity price | US EIA | State |
| Natural gas, water/sewer, home internet | EIA + published rate surveys | State |
| Air quality (median AQI) | EPA AirData | Metro (CBSA) |
| Climate: degree-days, temps, precipitation, snow, sunshine, hardiness, frost | NOAA Climate Normals + USDA | Metro / place-city |
| Sales, income, capital-gains & vehicle property tax; tax burden | Tax Foundation + state DORs | State |
| Home, auto, flood & earthquake insurance; healthcare; childcare | Published state surveys | State |
| Crime (violent & property) | FBI UCR | State average (metro detail planned) |
| Recreation, grocery, park, golf, DMV & lake counts | Google Maps public listings | Metro |
Salary equivalence
The headline "you'd need about $X" figure scales your income by the ratio of the two metros' overall cost of living (BEA RPP-anchored). The category breakdown then estimates housing, groceries, transportation, utilities, insurance and taxes at your income. These are planning estimates, not a personalized financial projection.
Coverage & limitations
- 200 US metros and ~3,200 places (Census places ≥10,000 population inside those metros).
- Crime is currently a state average — every metro in a state shares a rate. Metro/agency-level crime is on our roadmap.
- Local income tax (e.g. NYC, Philadelphia, some Ohio cities) and fully progressive state brackets are simplified today; refinements are planned.
- Place home values are ACS owner-reported estimates, distinct from Zillow sale prices shown on metro pages.
We update the underlying datasets periodically; each record carries an "as of" date in its data.
Questions or a correction? See About.