Overall
- Fresno
- 102.2
Diff +1.2 RPP
Burlington-South Burlington vs Fresno
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Fresno is 1.2% more expensive than Burlington-South Burlington.
1.2% more expensive
Fresno, CA is 1.2% more expensive than Burlington-South Burlington, VT on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 102.2 vs 100.9). A $100,000 salary in Burlington-South Burlington buys about the same as $101,198 in Fresno; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 100.9 (Burlington-South Burlington) vs 102.2 (Fresno)
- $100k in Burlington-South Burlington ≈ $101,198 purchasing power in Fresno
- Services drives the gap (+35.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair VT:CA 100.9→102.2
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE VT × CA
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 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-South Burlington
100.9
Cost Index
Fresno
102.2
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Burlington-South Burlington, VT and Fresno, CA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Fresno is 35.5 points higher. 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 exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
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-South Burlington to $101,198 in Fresno, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Fresno
- 105.2
Diff +7.9 RPP
Services
- Fresno
- 161.0
Diff +35.5 RPP
Rents
- Fresno
- 95.7
Diff -8.1 RPP
| Category | Burlington-South Burlington | Fresno | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 100.9 | 102.2 | +1.2 |
| Goods | 97.3 | 105.2 | +7.9 |
| Services | 125.5 | 161.0 | +35.5 |
| Rents | 103.8 | 95.7 | -8.1 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Burlington-South Burlington 100.9
Fresno 102.2
Goods
Burlington-South Burlington 97.3
Fresno 105.2
Services
Burlington-South Burlington 125.5
Fresno 161.0
Rents
Burlington-South Burlington 103.8
Fresno 95.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Burlington-South Burlington would need to be in Fresno for the same purchasing power:
| In Burlington-South Burlington | In Fresno | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,599 | +$599 |
| $75,000 | $75,898 | +$898 |
| $100,000 | $101,198 | +$1,198 |
| $150,000 | $151,796 | +$1,796 |
$ in Burlington-South Burlington = in Fresno
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (100.9 → 102.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fresno more expensive than Burlington-South Burlington?
Fresno is 1.2% more expensive than Burlington-South Burlington. The overall cost index is 102.2 vs 100.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Fresno equals $100K in Burlington-South Burlington?
A $100,000 salary in Burlington-South Burlington has the same purchasing power as $101,198 in Fresno. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Burlington-South Burlington and Fresno?
Rents in Burlington-South Burlington are indexed at 103.8 while Fresno is at 95.7 (national average = 100). Burlington-South Burlington 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.