Overall
- Appleton
- 92.4
Diff -0.3 RPP
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford vs Appleton
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Appleton is 0.3% less expensive than Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford.
0.3% less expensive
Appleton, WI is 0.3% less expensive than Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.4 vs 92.7). A $100,000 salary in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford buys about the same as $99,686 in Appleton; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 92.7 (Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford) vs 92.4 (Appleton)
- $100k in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford ≈ $99,686 purchasing power in Appleton
- Rents drives the gap (-3.6 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair VA:WI 92.7→92.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE VA × 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.
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford
92.7
Cost Index
Appleton
92.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA and Appleton, WI are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Appleton is 3.6 points lower. But services 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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford corresponds to $99,686 in Appleton.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Appleton
- 93.8
Diff -3.0 RPP
Services
- Appleton
- 90.6
Diff +2.5 RPP
Rents
- Appleton
- 70.8
Diff -3.6 RPP
| Category | Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford | Appleton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.7 | 92.4 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 96.8 | 93.8 | -3.0 |
| Services | 88.1 | 90.6 | +2.5 |
| Rents | 74.4 | 70.8 | -3.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford 92.7
Appleton 92.4
Goods
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford 96.8
Appleton 93.8
Services
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford 88.1
Appleton 90.6
Rents
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford 74.4
Appleton 70.8
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford would need to be in Appleton for the same purchasing power:
| In Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford | In Appleton | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,843 | $-157 |
| $75,000 | $74,765 | $-235 |
| $100,000 | $99,686 | $-314 |
| $150,000 | $149,529 | $-471 |
$ in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford = in Appleton
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.7 → 92.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Appleton more expensive than Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford?
Appleton is 0.3% less expensive than Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford. The overall cost index is 92.4 vs 92.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Appleton equals $100K in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford?
A $100,000 salary in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford has the same purchasing power as $99,686 in Appleton. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford and Appleton?
Rents in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford are indexed at 74.4 while Appleton is at 70.8 (national average = 100). Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford 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.