Overall
- Ames
- 88.8
- Huntington-Ashland
- 88.4
Diff -0.4 RPP
Ames vs Huntington-Ashland
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Huntington-Ashland is 0.5% less expensive than Ames.
0.5% less expensive
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH is 0.5% less expensive than Ames, IA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 88.4 vs 88.8). A $100,000 salary in Ames buys about the same as $99,541 in Huntington-Ashland; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 88.8 (Ames) vs 88.4 (Huntington-Ashland)
- $100k in Ames ≈ $99,541 purchasing power in Huntington-Ashland
- Rents drives the gap (-17.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IA:WV 88.8→88.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE IA × WV
- 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.
Ames
88.8
Cost Index
Huntington-Ashland
88.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Ames, IA and Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Huntington-Ashland is 17.9 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 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 Ames corresponds to $99,541 in Huntington-Ashland.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Ames
- 93.7
- Huntington-Ashland
- 96.3
Diff +2.6 RPP
Services
- Ames
- 83.0
- Huntington-Ashland
- 87.9
Diff +4.8 RPP
Rents
- Ames
- 69.2
- Huntington-Ashland
- 51.3
Diff -17.9 RPP
| Category | Ames | Huntington-Ashland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 88.8 | 88.4 | -0.4 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 96.3 | +2.6 |
| Services | 83.0 | 87.9 | +4.8 |
| Rents | 69.2 | 51.3 | -17.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Ames 88.8
Huntington-Ashland 88.4
Goods
Ames 93.7
Huntington-Ashland 96.3
Services
Ames 83.0
Huntington-Ashland 87.9
Rents
Ames 69.2
Huntington-Ashland 51.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Ames would need to be in Huntington-Ashland for the same purchasing power:
| In Ames | In Huntington-Ashland | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,770 | $-230 |
| $75,000 | $74,656 | $-344 |
| $100,000 | $99,541 | $-459 |
| $150,000 | $149,311 | $-689 |
$ in Ames = in Huntington-Ashland
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (88.8 → 88.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Huntington-Ashland more expensive than Ames?
Huntington-Ashland is 0.5% less expensive than Ames. The overall cost index is 88.4 vs 88.8 (national average = 100).
What salary in Huntington-Ashland equals $100K in Ames?
A $100,000 salary in Ames has the same purchasing power as $99,541 in Huntington-Ashland. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Ames and Huntington-Ashland?
Rents in Ames are indexed at 69.2 while Huntington-Ashland is at 51.3 (national average = 100). Ames 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.