Overall
- Anniston-Oxford
- 85.9
- Joplin
- 85.7
Diff -0.2 RPP
Anniston-Oxford vs Joplin
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Joplin is 0.3% less expensive than Anniston-Oxford.
0.3% less expensive
Joplin, MO-KS is 0.3% less expensive than Anniston-Oxford, AL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 85.7 vs 85.9). A $100,000 salary in Anniston-Oxford buys about the same as $99,731 in Joplin; the largest component gap is goods.
- Overall RPP 85.9 (Anniston-Oxford) vs 85.7 (Joplin)
- $100k in Anniston-Oxford ≈ $99,731 purchasing power in Joplin
- Goods drives the gap (-2.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AL:MO 85.9→85.7
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · GOODS-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE AL × MO
- GOODS-LED Goods-led gap
- 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.
Anniston-Oxford
85.9
Cost Index
Joplin
85.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Anniston-Oxford, AL and Joplin, MO-KS are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Goods leads the difference, with Joplin 2.2 points lower than Anniston-Oxford. 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.
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 goods-led difference, remember that many tradable prices vary less by address than housing or labor-priced services. Use $99,731 in Joplin as the BEA equivalent of $100,000 in Anniston-Oxford, then replace the national basket with your own.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Anniston-Oxford
- 96.4
- Joplin
- 94.2
Diff -2.2 RPP
Services
- Anniston-Oxford
- 87.1
- Joplin
- 85.9
Diff -1.3 RPP
Rents
- Anniston-Oxford
- 54.7
- Joplin
- 54.0
Diff -0.7 RPP
| Category | Anniston-Oxford | Joplin | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 85.9 | 85.7 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 94.2 | -2.2 |
| Services | 87.1 | 85.9 | -1.3 |
| Rents | 54.7 | 54.0 | -0.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Anniston-Oxford 85.9
Joplin 85.7
Goods
Anniston-Oxford 96.4
Joplin 94.2
Services
Anniston-Oxford 87.1
Joplin 85.9
Rents
Anniston-Oxford 54.7
Joplin 54.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Anniston-Oxford would need to be in Joplin for the same purchasing power:
| In Anniston-Oxford | In Joplin | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,866 | $-134 |
| $75,000 | $74,798 | $-202 |
| $100,000 | $99,731 | $-269 |
| $150,000 | $149,597 | $-403 |
$ in Anniston-Oxford = in Joplin
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (85.9 → 85.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Joplin more expensive than Anniston-Oxford?
Joplin is 0.3% less expensive than Anniston-Oxford. The overall cost index is 85.7 vs 85.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Joplin equals $100K in Anniston-Oxford?
A $100,000 salary in Anniston-Oxford has the same purchasing power as $99,731 in Joplin. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Anniston-Oxford and Joplin?
Rents in Anniston-Oxford are indexed at 54.7 while Joplin is at 54.0 (national average = 100). Anniston-Oxford 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.