Start with the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPPs) for a same-year baseline, then compare housing and your household’s other major costs in the specific places you’re considering. Finally, weigh those expenses against realistic local or remote-work income and after-tax pay. An RPP is a regional average price level—not a forecast of your bills or a verdict on whether you can afford a move.
Start with a same-year regional price baseline
BEA defines Regional Price Parities as measures of price-level differences across states and metropolitan areas for a given year, expressed as a percentage of the national price level. In practical terms, 100 is the national average: an RPP of 110 means the area’s average price level is 10% above the national level for that year. An RPP of 90 is 10% below it, but it does not mean your personal bills will be exactly 10% lower.
The latest state estimates available as of BEA’s February 19, 2026 release are for 2024. The following figures illustrate the spread; they are not a ranking of the best places to move.
| State | 2024 all-items RPP |
|---|---|
| California | 110.7 |
| Hawaii | 110.0 |
| New Jersey | 108.8 |
| Arkansas | 86.9 |
| Mississippi | 87.0 |
| Iowa | 87.8 |
| Oklahoma | 87.8 |
Check BEA’s Regional Price Parities by State and Metro Area page for current tables. Compare the same year for both candidate locations. If the page has a metro or local-area estimate for the places you’re considering, use it to refine the state comparison; a state average can hide substantial differences among cities, suburbs, and rural areas.
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Look beyond the all-items index
The all-items RPP combines broad consumer categories using expenditure weights. It offers a consistent starting point, but it cannot represent every household’s spending pattern. BEA says housing rents are often the main driver of differences in overall RPPs. In 2024, the housing-rent RPP was 154.3 in California and 54.2 in West Virginia. Those figures compare relative rent price levels, not monthly rent amounts or quotes for particular homes.
Build a comparison around the costs that matter to your household:
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- Housing: Compare suitable rentals or likely ownership costs in the neighborhoods you would actually consider. Account for home size and type, insurance, property-related costs, and availability—not just a statewide average.
- Utilities and household expenses: Estimate likely utility bills, food, and other recurring spending using current local information where possible.
- Transportation: Include commute distance and mode, vehicle costs, and any transit expenses that fit your likely routine.
- Health, childcare, and education: Add the services your household is likely to use. Costs can vary with individual needs and choices.
- Other major spending: Include any recurring category that materially affects your budget rather than assuming the average household’s basket matches yours.
BEA’s methodology combines price information from federal sources, including Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index data, Census American Community Survey housing data, and BEA personal consumption expenditure data. The agency cautions that CPI was not designed to compare places; uneven or sparse samples can make some estimates volatile. Selected extreme regional price levels for volatile CPI items, especially medical and education services, may be replaced with national price levels. Treat the index as a baseline, then validate high-impact expenses with current local options and estimates.
Compare income and taxes separately
A lower regional price level does not by itself mean a move improves your finances. Estimate what you could realistically earn in the destination, including whether your current salary would continue under the terms of a remote-work arrangement. Then compare expected take-home pay after taxes and relevant deductions, and account for benefits that affect your household budget.
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BEA’s real personal income statistics are regional, price-adjusted measures; they are not an estimate of your salary, paycheck, or state tax bill. Use them as regional context, not as a substitute for estimating your own income and taxes. The BEA’s 2024 state release also reports real personal consumption expenditure growth—5.3% for Massachusetts and 2.9% nationally. Those are inflation-adjusted consumption growth figures, not changes in an individual household’s cost of living.
Keep moving expenses out of the monthly comparison
Moving expenses are one-time transition costs, not recurring regional price levels measured by RPP. Make a separate list for mover or rental-truck charges, travel, storage, deposits, and any overlap between leases or housing payments. Get estimates tied to your route, moving date, and service level; those details affect what you will actually pay.
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Build a side-by-side monthly scenario
- Pick comparable locations and dates. Record the same-year state RPP for each option, then add a metro or local estimate when BEA provides one for the destination.
- Use the index as context, not a budget. Note each all-items RPP and remember that it describes average relative price levels, not personal affordability or inflation over time.
- Estimate your household’s recurring costs. Price likely housing, utilities, food, transportation, medical care, childcare or education where relevant, and other important expenses. Use a low and high estimate for uncertain items.
- Estimate destination take-home pay. Use realistic earnings and work arrangements, then account for taxes, deductions, and benefits separately from the RPP.
- Compare monthly totals and transition costs. Set estimated recurring expenses against after-tax income. Show moving costs in a separate one-time total so they do not distort the ongoing comparison.
- Write down assumptions and dates. Record which neighborhoods, housing choices, commute, and cost estimates you used so you can revise the comparison as plans change.
RPP measures geographic price-level differences for a given year; inflation measures changes in prices over time. They are not interchangeable. BEA’s methodology and additional information explain the index and its limits in more detail: RPP methodology and additional information on BEA’s state release. The product page lists December 10, 2026 as the next state real PCE, real personal income, and RPP release date; check BEA for updated estimates after that date.
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