Overall
- Canton-Massillon
- 89.4
- Montgomery
- 89.7
Diff +0.3 RPP
Canton-Massillon vs Montgomery
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Montgomery is 0.3% more expensive than Canton-Massillon.
0.3% more expensive
Montgomery, AL is 0.3% more expensive than Canton-Massillon, OH on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 89.7 vs 89.4). A $100,000 salary in Canton-Massillon buys about the same as $100,309 in Montgomery; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 89.4 (Canton-Massillon) vs 89.7 (Montgomery)
- $100k in Canton-Massillon ≈ $100,309 purchasing power in Montgomery
- Services drives the gap (-12.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair OH:AL 89.4→89.7
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE OH × 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.
Canton-Massillon
89.4
Cost Index
Montgomery
89.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Canton-Massillon, OH and Montgomery, AL 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.
Services creates the largest separation: Montgomery is 12.0 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Canton-Massillon to $100,309 in Montgomery, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Canton-Massillon
- 93.6
- Montgomery
- 96.4
Diff +2.8 RPP
Services
- Canton-Massillon
- 96.9
- Montgomery
- 84.9
Diff -12.0 RPP
Rents
- Canton-Massillon
- 58.1
- Montgomery
- 64.3
Diff +6.2 RPP
| Category | Canton-Massillon | Montgomery | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 89.4 | 89.7 | +0.3 |
| Goods | 93.6 | 96.4 | +2.8 |
| Services | 96.9 | 84.9 | -12.0 |
| Rents | 58.1 | 64.3 | +6.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Canton-Massillon 89.4
Montgomery 89.7
Goods
Canton-Massillon 93.6
Montgomery 96.4
Services
Canton-Massillon 96.9
Montgomery 84.9
Rents
Canton-Massillon 58.1
Montgomery 64.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Canton-Massillon would need to be in Montgomery for the same purchasing power:
| In Canton-Massillon | In Montgomery | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,154 | +$154 |
| $75,000 | $75,232 | +$232 |
| $100,000 | $100,309 | +$309 |
| $150,000 | $150,463 | +$463 |
$ in Canton-Massillon = in Montgomery
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (89.4 → 89.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Montgomery more expensive than Canton-Massillon?
Montgomery is 0.3% more expensive than Canton-Massillon. The overall cost index is 89.7 vs 89.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Montgomery equals $100K in Canton-Massillon?
A $100,000 salary in Canton-Massillon has the same purchasing power as $100,309 in Montgomery. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Canton-Massillon and Montgomery?
Rents in Canton-Massillon are indexed at 58.1 while Montgomery is at 64.3 (national average = 100). Montgomery 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.