Overall
- Athens-Clarke County
- 93.3
- Billings
- 93.5
Diff +0.2 RPP
Athens-Clarke County vs Billings
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Billings is 0.2% more expensive than Athens-Clarke County.
0.2% more expensive
Billings, MT is 0.2% more expensive than Athens-Clarke County, GA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 93.5 vs 93.3). A $100,000 salary in Athens-Clarke County buys about the same as $100,196 in Billings; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 93.3 (Athens-Clarke County) vs 93.5 (Billings)
- $100k in Athens-Clarke County ≈ $100,196 purchasing power in Billings
- Services drives the gap (-16.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair GA:MT 93.3→93.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE GA × MT
- 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.
Athens-Clarke County
93.3
Cost Index
Billings
93.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Athens-Clarke County, GA and Billings, MT 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.
Services creates the largest separation: Billings is 16.8 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Athens-Clarke County to $100,196 in Billings, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Athens-Clarke County
- 96.3
- Billings
- 96.0
Diff -0.3 RPP
Services
- Athens-Clarke County
- 89.3
- Billings
- 72.4
Diff -16.8 RPP
Rents
- Athens-Clarke County
- 76.8
- Billings
- 77.4
Diff +0.6 RPP
| Category | Athens-Clarke County | Billings | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 93.3 | 93.5 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 96.3 | 96.0 | -0.3 |
| Services | 89.3 | 72.4 | -16.8 |
| Rents | 76.8 | 77.4 | +0.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Athens-Clarke County 93.3
Billings 93.5
Goods
Athens-Clarke County 96.3
Billings 96.0
Services
Athens-Clarke County 89.3
Billings 72.4
Rents
Athens-Clarke County 76.8
Billings 77.4
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Athens-Clarke County would need to be in Billings for the same purchasing power:
| In Athens-Clarke County | In Billings | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,098 | +$98 |
| $75,000 | $75,147 | +$147 |
| $100,000 | $100,196 | +$196 |
| $150,000 | $150,294 | +$294 |
$ in Athens-Clarke County = in Billings
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (93.3 → 93.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Billings more expensive than Athens-Clarke County?
Billings is 0.2% more expensive than Athens-Clarke County. The overall cost index is 93.5 vs 93.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Billings equals $100K in Athens-Clarke County?
A $100,000 salary in Athens-Clarke County has the same purchasing power as $100,196 in Billings. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Athens-Clarke County and Billings?
Rents in Athens-Clarke County are indexed at 76.8 while Billings is at 77.4 (national average = 100). Billings 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.