Overall
- Appleton
- 92.4
- Twin Falls
- 92.1
Diff -0.3 RPP
Appleton vs Twin Falls
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Twin Falls is 0.3% less expensive than Appleton.
0.3% less expensive
Twin Falls, ID * is 0.3% less expensive than Appleton, WI on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.1 vs 92.4). A $100,000 salary in Appleton buys about the same as $99,663 in Twin Falls; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 92.4 (Appleton) vs 92.1 (Twin Falls)
- $100k in Appleton ≈ $99,663 purchasing power in Twin Falls
- Services drives the gap (-20.6 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WI:ID 92.4→92.1
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WI × ID
- 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.
Appleton
92.4
Cost Index
Twin Falls
92.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Appleton, WI and Twin Falls, ID * are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Twin Falls is 20.6 points lower. But rents 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Appleton to $99,663 in Twin Falls, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Appleton
- 93.8
- Twin Falls
- 96.2
Diff +2.4 RPP
Services
- Appleton
- 90.6
- Twin Falls
- 70.0
Diff -20.6 RPP
Rents
- Appleton
- 70.8
- Twin Falls
- 73.8
Diff +3.0 RPP
| Category | Appleton | Twin Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.4 | 92.1 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 96.2 | +2.4 |
| Services | 90.6 | 70.0 | -20.6 |
| Rents | 70.8 | 73.8 | +3.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Appleton 92.4
Twin Falls 92.1
Goods
Appleton 93.8
Twin Falls 96.2
Services
Appleton 90.6
Twin Falls 70.0
Rents
Appleton 70.8
Twin Falls 73.8
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Appleton would need to be in Twin Falls for the same purchasing power:
| In Appleton | In Twin Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,832 | $-168 |
| $75,000 | $74,748 | $-252 |
| $100,000 | $99,663 | $-337 |
| $150,000 | $149,495 | $-505 |
$ in Appleton = in Twin Falls
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.4 → 92.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Twin Falls more expensive than Appleton?
Twin Falls is 0.3% less expensive than Appleton. The overall cost index is 92.1 vs 92.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Twin Falls equals $100K in Appleton?
A $100,000 salary in Appleton has the same purchasing power as $99,663 in Twin Falls. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Appleton and Twin Falls?
Rents in Appleton are indexed at 70.8 while Twin Falls is at 73.8 (national average = 100). Twin Falls 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.