Overall
- Williamsport
- 92.3
Diff -0.4 RPP
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford vs Williamsport
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Williamsport is 0.4% less expensive than Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford.
0.4% less expensive
Williamsport, PA is 0.4% less expensive than Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.3 vs 92.7). A $100,000 salary in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford buys about the same as $99,612 in Williamsport; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 92.7 (Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford) vs 92.3 (Williamsport)
- $100k in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford ≈ $99,612 purchasing power in Williamsport
- Services drives the gap (+19.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair VA:PA 92.7→92.3
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE VA × PA
- 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
Williamsport
92.3
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA and Williamsport, PA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Williamsport is 19.4 points higher. But services and 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford to $99,612 in Williamsport, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Williamsport
- 100.7
Diff +3.9 RPP
Services
- Williamsport
- 107.5
Diff +19.4 RPP
Rents
- Williamsport
- 64.4
Diff -10.0 RPP
| Category | Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford | Williamsport | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.7 | 92.3 | -0.4 |
| Goods | 96.8 | 100.7 | +3.9 |
| Services | 88.1 | 107.5 | +19.4 |
| Rents | 74.4 | 64.4 | -10.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford 92.7
Williamsport 92.3
Goods
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford 96.8
Williamsport 100.7
Services
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford 88.1
Williamsport 107.5
Rents
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford 74.4
Williamsport 64.4
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford would need to be in Williamsport for the same purchasing power:
| In Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford | In Williamsport | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,806 | $-194 |
| $75,000 | $74,709 | $-291 |
| $100,000 | $99,612 | $-388 |
| $150,000 | $149,418 | $-582 |
$ in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford = in Williamsport
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.7 → 92.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Williamsport more expensive than Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford?
Williamsport is 0.4% less expensive than Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford. The overall cost index is 92.3 vs 92.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Williamsport equals $100K in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford?
A $100,000 salary in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford has the same purchasing power as $99,612 in Williamsport. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford and Williamsport?
Rents in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford are indexed at 74.4 while Williamsport is at 64.4 (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.