Overall
- Albuquerque
- 95.5
- Helena
- 95.7
Diff +0.1 RPP
Albuquerque vs Helena
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Helena is 0.1% more expensive than Albuquerque.
0.1% more expensive
Helena, MT is 0.1% more expensive than Albuquerque, NM on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 95.7 vs 95.5). A $100,000 salary in Albuquerque buys about the same as $100,135 in Helena; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 95.5 (Albuquerque) vs 95.7 (Helena)
- $100k in Albuquerque ≈ $100,135 purchasing power in Helena
- Services drives the gap (-5.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NM:MT 95.5→95.7
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NM × MT
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Albuquerque
95.5
Cost Index
Helena
95.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Albuquerque, NM and Helena, MT are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Helena is 5.2 points lower. But services and goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Albuquerque to $100,135 in Helena, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Albuquerque
- 96.1
- Helena
- 96.0
Diff -0.1 RPP
Services
- Albuquerque
- 77.9
- Helena
- 72.6
Diff -5.2 RPP
Rents
- Albuquerque
- 89.2
- Helena
- 90.1
Diff +1.0 RPP
| Category | Albuquerque | Helena | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 95.5 | 95.7 | +0.1 |
| Goods | 96.1 | 96.0 | -0.1 |
| Services | 77.9 | 72.6 | -5.2 |
| Rents | 89.2 | 90.1 | +1.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Albuquerque 95.5
Helena 95.7
Goods
Albuquerque 96.1
Helena 96.0
Services
Albuquerque 77.9
Helena 72.6
Rents
Albuquerque 89.2
Helena 90.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Albuquerque would need to be in Helena for the same purchasing power:
| In Albuquerque | In Helena | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,068 | +$68 |
| $75,000 | $75,101 | +$101 |
| $100,000 | $100,135 | +$135 |
| $150,000 | $150,203 | +$203 |
$ in Albuquerque = in Helena
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (95.5 → 95.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Helena more expensive than Albuquerque?
Helena is 0.1% more expensive than Albuquerque. The overall cost index is 95.7 vs 95.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in Helena equals $100K in Albuquerque?
A $100,000 salary in Albuquerque has the same purchasing power as $100,135 in Helena. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Albuquerque and Helena?
Rents in Albuquerque are indexed at 89.2 while Helena is at 90.1 (national average = 100). Helena has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.