Overall
- Bismarck
- 91.0
- Baton Rouge
- 90.8
Diff -0.2 RPP
Bismarck vs Baton Rouge
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Baton Rouge is 0.3% less expensive than Bismarck.
0.3% less expensive
Baton Rouge, LA is 0.3% less expensive than Bismarck, ND on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 90.8 vs 91.0). A $100,000 salary in Bismarck buys about the same as $99,732 in Baton Rouge; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 91.0 (Bismarck) vs 90.8 (Baton Rouge)
- $100k in Bismarck ≈ $99,732 purchasing power in Baton Rouge
- Rents drives the gap (-9.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ND:LA 91.0→90.8
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE ND × LA
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- 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.
Bismarck
91.0
Cost Index
Baton Rouge
90.8
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Bismarck, ND and Baton Rouge, LA 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 leads the difference, with Baton Rouge 9.8 points lower than Bismarck. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
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 Bismarck corresponds to $99,732 in Baton Rouge.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Bismarck
- 95.7
- Baton Rouge
- 93.7
Diff -2.0 RPP
Services
- Bismarck
- 75.0
- Baton Rouge
- 71.2
Diff -3.8 RPP
Rents
- Bismarck
- 84.0
- Baton Rouge
- 74.2
Diff -9.8 RPP
| Category | Bismarck | Baton Rouge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 91.0 | 90.8 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 95.7 | 93.7 | -2.0 |
| Services | 75.0 | 71.2 | -3.8 |
| Rents | 84.0 | 74.2 | -9.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Bismarck 91.0
Baton Rouge 90.8
Goods
Bismarck 95.7
Baton Rouge 93.7
Services
Bismarck 75.0
Baton Rouge 71.2
Rents
Bismarck 84.0
Baton Rouge 74.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Bismarck would need to be in Baton Rouge for the same purchasing power:
| In Bismarck | In Baton Rouge | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,866 | $-134 |
| $75,000 | $74,799 | $-201 |
| $100,000 | $99,732 | $-268 |
| $150,000 | $149,598 | $-402 |
$ in Bismarck = in Baton Rouge
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (91.0 → 90.8), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Baton Rouge more expensive than Bismarck?
Baton Rouge is 0.3% less expensive than Bismarck. The overall cost index is 90.8 vs 91.0 (national average = 100).
What salary in Baton Rouge equals $100K in Bismarck?
A $100,000 salary in Bismarck has the same purchasing power as $99,732 in Baton Rouge. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Bismarck and Baton Rouge?
Rents in Bismarck are indexed at 84.0 while Baton Rouge is at 74.2 (national average = 100). Bismarck 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.