Overall
- Altoona
- 89.5
- Canton-Massillon
- 89.4
Diff -0.1 RPP
Altoona vs Canton-Massillon
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Canton-Massillon is 0.1% less expensive than Altoona.
0.1% less expensive
Canton-Massillon, OH is 0.1% less expensive than Altoona, PA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 89.4 vs 89.5). A $100,000 salary in Altoona buys about the same as $99,887 in Canton-Massillon; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 89.5 (Altoona) vs 89.4 (Canton-Massillon)
- $100k in Altoona ≈ $99,887 purchasing power in Canton-Massillon
- Services drives the gap (-10.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair PA:OH 89.5→89.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE PA × OH
- 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.
Altoona
89.5
Cost Index
Canton-Massillon
89.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Altoona, PA and Canton-Massillon, OH 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: Canton-Massillon is 10.7 points lower. But rents 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 Altoona to $99,887 in Canton-Massillon, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Altoona
- 100.7
- Canton-Massillon
- 93.6
Diff -7.1 RPP
Services
- Altoona
- 107.7
- Canton-Massillon
- 96.9
Diff -10.7 RPP
Rents
- Altoona
- 55.0
- Canton-Massillon
- 58.1
Diff +3.2 RPP
| Category | Altoona | Canton-Massillon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 89.5 | 89.4 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 93.6 | -7.1 |
| Services | 107.7 | 96.9 | -10.7 |
| Rents | 55.0 | 58.1 | +3.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Altoona 89.5
Canton-Massillon 89.4
Goods
Altoona 100.7
Canton-Massillon 93.6
Services
Altoona 107.7
Canton-Massillon 96.9
Rents
Altoona 55.0
Canton-Massillon 58.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Altoona would need to be in Canton-Massillon for the same purchasing power:
| In Altoona | In Canton-Massillon | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,944 | $-56 |
| $75,000 | $74,915 | $-85 |
| $100,000 | $99,887 | $-113 |
| $150,000 | $149,831 | $-169 |
$ in Altoona = in Canton-Massillon
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (89.5 → 89.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Canton-Massillon more expensive than Altoona?
Canton-Massillon is 0.1% less expensive than Altoona. The overall cost index is 89.4 vs 89.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in Canton-Massillon equals $100K in Altoona?
A $100,000 salary in Altoona has the same purchasing power as $99,887 in Canton-Massillon. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Altoona and Canton-Massillon?
Rents in Altoona are indexed at 55.0 while Canton-Massillon is at 58.1 (national average = 100). Canton-Massillon 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.