Overall
- Binghamton
- 92.9
- Wausau
- 92.7
Diff -0.2 RPP
Binghamton vs Wausau
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Wausau is 0.2% less expensive than Binghamton.
0.2% less expensive
Wausau, WI is 0.2% less expensive than Binghamton, NY on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.7 vs 92.9). A $100,000 salary in Binghamton buys about the same as $99,772 in Wausau; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 92.9 (Binghamton) vs 92.7 (Wausau)
- $100k in Binghamton ≈ $99,772 purchasing power in Wausau
- Services drives the gap (-41.6 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NY:WI 92.9→92.7
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NY × WI
- 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.
Binghamton
92.9
Cost Index
Wausau
92.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Binghamton, NY and Wausau, WI 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: Wausau is 41.6 points lower. But rents 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 Binghamton to $99,772 in Wausau, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Binghamton
- 99.7
- Wausau
- 93.8
Diff -5.9 RPP
Services
- Binghamton
- 131.6
- Wausau
- 90.0
Diff -41.6 RPP
Rents
- Binghamton
- 69.7
- Wausau
- 71.5
Diff +1.8 RPP
| Category | Binghamton | Wausau | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.9 | 92.7 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 99.7 | 93.8 | -5.9 |
| Services | 131.6 | 90.0 | -41.6 |
| Rents | 69.7 | 71.5 | +1.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Binghamton 92.9
Wausau 92.7
Goods
Binghamton 99.7
Wausau 93.8
Services
Binghamton 131.6
Wausau 90.0
Rents
Binghamton 69.7
Wausau 71.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Binghamton would need to be in Wausau for the same purchasing power:
| In Binghamton | In Wausau | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,886 | $-114 |
| $75,000 | $74,829 | $-171 |
| $100,000 | $99,772 | $-228 |
| $150,000 | $149,658 | $-342 |
$ in Binghamton = in Wausau
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.9 → 92.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wausau more expensive than Binghamton?
Wausau is 0.2% less expensive than Binghamton. The overall cost index is 92.7 vs 92.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Wausau equals $100K in Binghamton?
A $100,000 salary in Binghamton has the same purchasing power as $99,772 in Wausau. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Binghamton and Wausau?
Rents in Binghamton are indexed at 69.7 while Wausau is at 71.5 (national average = 100). Wausau 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.