Overall
Diff -1.1 RPP
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton vs Atlantic City-Hammonton
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Atlantic City-Hammonton is 1.1% less expensive than Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton.
1.1% less expensive
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ is 1.1% less expensive than Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.9 vs 100.0). A $100,000 salary in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton buys about the same as $98,889 in Atlantic City-Hammonton; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 100.0 (Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton) vs 98.9 (Atlantic City-Hammonton)
- $100k in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton ≈ $98,889 purchasing power in Atlantic City-Hammonton
- Rents drives the gap (-6.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair PA:NJ 100.0→98.9
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE PA × NJ
- 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.
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
100.0
Cost Index
Atlantic City-Hammonton
98.9
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ and Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Atlantic City-Hammonton is 6.8 points lower. But services 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 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 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton corresponds to $98,889 in Atlantic City-Hammonton.
Category Breakdown
| Category | Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton | Atlantic City-Hammonton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 100.0 | 98.9 | -1.1 |
| Goods | 100.6 | 99.8 | -0.8 |
| Services | 107.6 | 109.2 | +1.6 |
| Rents | 105.5 | 98.7 | -6.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton 100.0
Atlantic City-Hammonton 98.9
Goods
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton 100.6
Atlantic City-Hammonton 99.8
Services
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton 107.6
Atlantic City-Hammonton 109.2
Rents
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton 105.5
Atlantic City-Hammonton 98.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton would need to be in Atlantic City-Hammonton for the same purchasing power:
| In Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton | In Atlantic City-Hammonton | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,444 | $-556 |
| $75,000 | $74,166 | $-834 |
| $100,000 | $98,889 | $-1,111 |
| $150,000 | $148,333 | $-1,667 |
$ in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton = in Atlantic City-Hammonton
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (100.0 → 98.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Atlantic City-Hammonton more expensive than Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?
Atlantic City-Hammonton is 1.1% less expensive than Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton. The overall cost index is 98.9 vs 100.0 (national average = 100).
What salary in Atlantic City-Hammonton equals $100K in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?
A $100,000 salary in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton has the same purchasing power as $98,889 in Atlantic City-Hammonton. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton and Atlantic City-Hammonton?
Rents in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton are indexed at 105.5 while Atlantic City-Hammonton is at 98.7 (national average = 100). Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton 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.