Overall
- Athens-Clarke County
- 93.3
- Roanoke
- 93.6
Diff +0.3 RPP
Athens-Clarke County vs Roanoke
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Roanoke is 0.3% more expensive than Athens-Clarke County.
0.3% more expensive
Roanoke, VA is 0.3% more expensive than Athens-Clarke County, GA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 93.6 vs 93.3). A $100,000 salary in Athens-Clarke County buys about the same as $100,295 in Roanoke; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 93.3 (Athens-Clarke County) vs 93.6 (Roanoke)
- $100k in Athens-Clarke County ≈ $100,295 purchasing power in Roanoke
- Rents drives the gap (+1.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair GA:VA 93.3→93.6
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE GA × VA
- 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
Roanoke
93.6
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Athens-Clarke County, GA and Roanoke, VA 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.
Rents creates the largest separation: Roanoke is 1.8 points higher. But services 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 Athens-Clarke County corresponds to $100,295 in Roanoke.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Athens-Clarke County
- 96.3
- Roanoke
- 96.8
Diff +0.5 RPP
Services
- Athens-Clarke County
- 89.3
- Roanoke
- 88.9
Diff -0.3 RPP
Rents
- Athens-Clarke County
- 76.8
- Roanoke
- 78.5
Diff +1.8 RPP
| Category | Athens-Clarke County | Roanoke | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 93.3 | 93.6 | +0.3 |
| Goods | 96.3 | 96.8 | +0.5 |
| Services | 89.3 | 88.9 | -0.3 |
| Rents | 76.8 | 78.5 | +1.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Athens-Clarke County 93.3
Roanoke 93.6
Goods
Athens-Clarke County 96.3
Roanoke 96.8
Services
Athens-Clarke County 89.3
Roanoke 88.9
Rents
Athens-Clarke County 76.8
Roanoke 78.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Athens-Clarke County would need to be in Roanoke for the same purchasing power:
| In Athens-Clarke County | In Roanoke | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,147 | +$147 |
| $75,000 | $75,221 | +$221 |
| $100,000 | $100,295 | +$295 |
| $150,000 | $150,442 | +$442 |
$ in Athens-Clarke County = in Roanoke
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (93.3 → 93.6), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Roanoke more expensive than Athens-Clarke County?
Roanoke is 0.3% more expensive than Athens-Clarke County. The overall cost index is 93.6 vs 93.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Roanoke equals $100K in Athens-Clarke County?
A $100,000 salary in Athens-Clarke County has the same purchasing power as $100,295 in Roanoke. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Athens-Clarke County and Roanoke?
Rents in Athens-Clarke County are indexed at 76.8 while Roanoke is at 78.5 (national average = 100). Roanoke 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.