Overall
- Erie
- 91.0
Diff -7.9 RPP
Atlantic City-Hammonton vs Erie
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Erie is 8% less expensive than Atlantic City-Hammonton.
8% less expensive
Erie, PA is 8% less expensive than Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 91.0 vs 98.9). A $100,000 salary in Atlantic City-Hammonton buys about the same as $92,002 in Erie; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.9 (Atlantic City-Hammonton) vs 91.0 (Erie)
- $100k in Atlantic City-Hammonton ≈ $92,002 purchasing power in Erie
- Rents drives the gap (-41.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NJ:PA 98.9→91.0
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE NJ × PA
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
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.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Erie
- 100.7
Diff +0.9 RPP
Services
- Atlantic City-Hammonton
- 109.2
- Erie
- 106.8
Diff -2.4 RPP
Rents
- Erie
- 56.8
Diff -41.8 RPP
| Category | Atlantic City-Hammonton | Erie | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.9 | 91.0 | -7.9 |
| Goods | 99.8 | 100.7 | +0.9 |
| Services | 109.2 | 106.8 | -2.4 |
| Rents | 98.7 | 56.8 | -41.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Atlantic City-Hammonton 98.9
Erie 91.0
Goods
Atlantic City-Hammonton 99.8
Erie 100.7
Services
Atlantic City-Hammonton 109.2
Erie 106.8
Rents
Atlantic City-Hammonton 98.7
Erie 56.8
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: Erie is 41.8 points lower. But goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Erie, PA is 8% less expensive than Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 7.9-point overall gap.
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.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
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 Atlantic City-Hammonton corresponds to $92,002 in Erie.
Atlantic City-Hammonton
98.9
Cost Index
Erie
91.0
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Atlantic City-Hammonton would need to be in Erie for the same purchasing power:
| In Atlantic City-Hammonton | In Erie | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $46,001 | $-3,999 |
| $75,000 | $69,001 | $-5,999 |
| $100,000 | $92,002 | $-7,998 |
| $150,000 | $138,002 | $-11,998 |
$ in Atlantic City-Hammonton = in Erie
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.9 → 91.0), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Erie more expensive than Atlantic City-Hammonton?
Erie is 8% less expensive than Atlantic City-Hammonton. The overall cost index is 91.0 vs 98.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Erie equals $100K in Atlantic City-Hammonton?
A $100,000 salary in Atlantic City-Hammonton has the same purchasing power as $92,002 in Erie. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Atlantic City-Hammonton and Erie?
Rents in Atlantic City-Hammonton are indexed at 98.7 while Erie is at 56.8 (national average = 100). Atlantic City-Hammonton 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.