Overall
- Billings
- 93.5
- Sherman-Denison
- 93.8
Diff +0.2 RPP
Billings vs Sherman-Denison
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Sherman-Denison is 0.3% more expensive than Billings.
0.3% more expensive
Sherman-Denison, TX is 0.3% more expensive than Billings, MT on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 93.8 vs 93.5). A $100,000 salary in Billings buys about the same as $100,262 in Sherman-Denison; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 93.5 (Billings) vs 93.8 (Sherman-Denison)
- $100k in Billings ≈ $100,262 purchasing power in Sherman-Denison
- Rents drives the gap (+12.1 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair MT:TX 93.5→93.8
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE MT × TX
- 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.
Billings
93.5
Cost Index
Sherman-Denison
93.8
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Billings, MT and Sherman-Denison, TX 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.
Rents creates the largest separation: Sherman-Denison is 12.1 points higher. But 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 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 Billings corresponds to $100,262 in Sherman-Denison.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Billings
- 96.0
- Sherman-Denison
- 93.8
Diff -2.2 RPP
Services
- Billings
- 72.4
- Sherman-Denison
- 83.3
Diff +10.9 RPP
Rents
- Billings
- 77.4
- Sherman-Denison
- 89.5
Diff +12.1 RPP
| Category | Billings | Sherman-Denison | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 93.5 | 93.8 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 96.0 | 93.8 | -2.2 |
| Services | 72.4 | 83.3 | +10.9 |
| Rents | 77.4 | 89.5 | +12.1 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Billings 93.5
Sherman-Denison 93.8
Goods
Billings 96.0
Sherman-Denison 93.8
Services
Billings 72.4
Sherman-Denison 83.3
Rents
Billings 77.4
Sherman-Denison 89.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Billings would need to be in Sherman-Denison for the same purchasing power:
| In Billings | In Sherman-Denison | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,131 | +$131 |
| $75,000 | $75,196 | +$196 |
| $100,000 | $100,262 | +$262 |
| $150,000 | $150,393 | +$393 |
$ in Billings = in Sherman-Denison
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (93.5 → 93.8), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sherman-Denison more expensive than Billings?
Sherman-Denison is 0.3% more expensive than Billings. The overall cost index is 93.8 vs 93.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in Sherman-Denison equals $100K in Billings?
A $100,000 salary in Billings has the same purchasing power as $100,262 in Sherman-Denison. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Billings and Sherman-Denison?
Rents in Billings are indexed at 77.4 while Sherman-Denison is at 89.5 (national average = 100). Sherman-Denison 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.