Overall
- Bismarck
- 91.0
Diff +0.1 RPP
Bismarck vs Staunton-Stuarts Draft
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Staunton-Stuarts Draft is 0.1% more expensive than Bismarck.
0.1% more expensive
Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA is 0.1% more expensive than Bismarck, ND on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 91.1 vs 91.0). A $100,000 salary in Bismarck buys about the same as $100,114 in Staunton-Stuarts Draft; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 91.0 (Bismarck) vs 91.1 (Staunton-Stuarts Draft)
- $100k in Bismarck ≈ $100,114 purchasing power in Staunton-Stuarts Draft
- Rents drives the gap (-15.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ND:VA 91.0→91.1
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE ND × 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.
Bismarck
91.0
Cost Index
Staunton-Stuarts Draft
91.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Bismarck, ND and Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Staunton-Stuarts Draft is 15.8 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 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 $100,114 in Staunton-Stuarts Draft.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Bismarck
- 95.7
Diff +1.1 RPP
Services
- Bismarck
- 75.0
Diff +14.5 RPP
Rents
- Bismarck
- 84.0
Diff -15.8 RPP
| Category | Bismarck | Staunton-Stuarts Draft | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 91.0 | 91.1 | +0.1 |
| Goods | 95.7 | 96.8 | +1.1 |
| Services | 75.0 | 89.5 | +14.5 |
| Rents | 84.0 | 68.2 | -15.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Bismarck 91.0
Staunton-Stuarts Draft 91.1
Goods
Bismarck 95.7
Staunton-Stuarts Draft 96.8
Services
Bismarck 75.0
Staunton-Stuarts Draft 89.5
Rents
Bismarck 84.0
Staunton-Stuarts Draft 68.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Bismarck would need to be in Staunton-Stuarts Draft for the same purchasing power:
| In Bismarck | In Staunton-Stuarts Draft | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,057 | +$57 |
| $75,000 | $75,086 | +$86 |
| $100,000 | $100,114 | +$114 |
| $150,000 | $150,171 | +$171 |
$ in Bismarck = in Staunton-Stuarts Draft
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (91.0 → 91.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Staunton-Stuarts Draft more expensive than Bismarck?
Staunton-Stuarts Draft is 0.1% more expensive than Bismarck. The overall cost index is 91.1 vs 91.0 (national average = 100).
What salary in Staunton-Stuarts Draft equals $100K in Bismarck?
A $100,000 salary in Bismarck has the same purchasing power as $100,114 in Staunton-Stuarts Draft. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Bismarck and Staunton-Stuarts Draft?
Rents in Bismarck are indexed at 84.0 while Staunton-Stuarts Draft is at 68.2 (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.