Overall
- Burlington
- 93.2
- Huntsville
- 93.1
Diff -0.1 RPP
Burlington vs Huntsville
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Huntsville is 0.1% less expensive than Burlington.
0.1% less expensive
Huntsville, AL is 0.1% less expensive than Burlington, NC on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 93.1 vs 93.2). A $100,000 salary in Burlington buys about the same as $99,867 in Huntsville; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 93.2 (Burlington) vs 93.1 (Huntsville)
- $100k in Burlington ≈ $99,867 purchasing power in Huntsville
- Services drives the gap (-5.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NC:AL 93.2→93.1
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NC × AL
- 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.
Burlington
93.2
Cost Index
Huntsville
93.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Burlington, NC and Huntsville, AL 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.
Services creates the largest separation: Huntsville is 5.3 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 Burlington to $99,867 in Huntsville, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Burlington
- 96.6
- Huntsville
- 96.4
Diff -0.2 RPP
Services
- Burlington
- 89.2
- Huntsville
- 83.9
Diff -5.3 RPP
Rents
- Burlington
- 77.9
- Huntsville
- 77.9
Diff +0.1 RPP
| Category | Burlington | Huntsville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 93.2 | 93.1 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 96.6 | 96.4 | -0.2 |
| Services | 89.2 | 83.9 | -5.3 |
| Rents | 77.9 | 77.9 | +0.1 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Burlington 93.2
Huntsville 93.1
Goods
Burlington 96.6
Huntsville 96.4
Services
Burlington 89.2
Huntsville 83.9
Rents
Burlington 77.9
Huntsville 77.9
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Burlington would need to be in Huntsville for the same purchasing power:
| In Burlington | In Huntsville | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,933 | $-67 |
| $75,000 | $74,900 | $-100 |
| $100,000 | $99,867 | $-133 |
| $150,000 | $149,800 | $-200 |
$ in Burlington = in Huntsville
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (93.2 → 93.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Huntsville more expensive than Burlington?
Huntsville is 0.1% less expensive than Burlington. The overall cost index is 93.1 vs 93.2 (national average = 100).
What salary in Huntsville equals $100K in Burlington?
A $100,000 salary in Burlington has the same purchasing power as $99,867 in Huntsville. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Burlington and Huntsville?
Rents in Burlington are indexed at 77.9 while Huntsville is at 77.9 (national average = 100). Huntsville 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.