Overall
- Alexandria
- 85.7
- Salem
- 103.6
Diff +18.0 RPP
Alexandria vs Salem
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Salem is 21% more expensive than Alexandria.
21% more expensive
Salem, OR is 21% more expensive than Alexandria, LA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 103.6 vs 85.7). A $100,000 salary in Alexandria buys about the same as $120,964 in Salem; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 85.7 (Alexandria) vs 103.6 (Salem)
- $100k in Alexandria ≈ $120,964 purchasing power in Salem
- Rents drives the gap (+56.6 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair LA:OR 85.7→103.6
TIER-GAP · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BENCH-CROSS · PP-STEEP
- TIER-GAP Clear tier gap
- CROSS-STATE LA × OR
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BENCH-CROSS Benchmark cross
- PP-STEEP Steep PP convert
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.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Alexandria would need to be in Salem for the same purchasing power:
| In Alexandria | In Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $60,482 | +$10,482 |
| $75,000 | $90,723 | +$15,723 |
| $100,000 | $120,964 | +$20,964 |
| $150,000 | $181,446 | +$31,446 |
$ in Alexandria = in Salem
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (85.7 → 103.6), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Alexandria, LA and Salem, OR sit in clearly different price tiers, separated by 18.0 RPP points. At this distance, treating the same nominal salary as equivalent would materially change purchasing power.
This route crosses the national benchmark: Salem is above 100 while Alexandria is below it. That makes the move a change of price regime, not merely a rank swap.
Rents leads the difference, with Salem 56.6 points higher than Alexandria. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Alexandria corresponds to $120,964 in Salem.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Alexandria
- 93.7
- Salem
- 105.3
Diff +11.6 RPP
Services
- Alexandria
- 71.1
- Salem
- 104.7
Diff +33.6 RPP
Rents
- Alexandria
- 53.7
- Salem
- 110.3
Diff +56.6 RPP
| Category | Alexandria | Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 85.7 | 103.6 | +18.0 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 105.3 | +11.6 |
| Services | 71.1 | 104.7 | +33.6 |
| Rents | 53.7 | 110.3 | +56.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Alexandria 85.7
Salem 103.6
Goods
Alexandria 93.7
Salem 105.3
Services
Alexandria 71.1
Salem 104.7
Rents
Alexandria 53.7
Salem 110.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
Alexandria
85.7
Cost Index
Salem
103.6
Cost Index
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Salem more expensive than Alexandria?
Salem is 21% more expensive than Alexandria. The overall cost index is 103.6 vs 85.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Salem equals $100K in Alexandria?
A $100,000 salary in Alexandria has the same purchasing power as $120,964 in Salem. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Alexandria and Salem?
Rents in Alexandria are indexed at 53.7 while Salem is at 110.3 (national average = 100). Salem 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.