Overall
- Champaign-Urbana
- 92.7
- Binghamton
- 92.9
Diff +0.2 RPP
Champaign-Urbana vs Binghamton
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Binghamton is 0.2% more expensive than Champaign-Urbana.
0.2% more expensive
Binghamton, NY is 0.2% more expensive than Champaign-Urbana, IL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.9 vs 92.7). A $100,000 salary in Champaign-Urbana buys about the same as $100,172 in Binghamton; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 92.7 (Champaign-Urbana) vs 92.9 (Binghamton)
- $100k in Champaign-Urbana ≈ $100,172 purchasing power in Binghamton
- Services drives the gap (+41.1 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IL:NY 92.7→92.9
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE IL × NY
- 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.
Champaign-Urbana
92.7
Cost Index
Binghamton
92.9
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Champaign-Urbana, IL and Binghamton, NY are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Binghamton is 41.1 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 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 Champaign-Urbana to $100,172 in Binghamton, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Champaign-Urbana
- 93.6
- Binghamton
- 99.7
Diff +6.0 RPP
Services
- Champaign-Urbana
- 90.5
- Binghamton
- 131.6
Diff +41.1 RPP
Rents
- Champaign-Urbana
- 71.6
- Binghamton
- 69.7
Diff -1.9 RPP
| Category | Champaign-Urbana | Binghamton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.7 | 92.9 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 93.6 | 99.7 | +6.0 |
| Services | 90.5 | 131.6 | +41.1 |
| Rents | 71.6 | 69.7 | -1.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Champaign-Urbana 92.7
Binghamton 92.9
Goods
Champaign-Urbana 93.6
Binghamton 99.7
Services
Champaign-Urbana 90.5
Binghamton 131.6
Rents
Champaign-Urbana 71.6
Binghamton 69.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Champaign-Urbana would need to be in Binghamton for the same purchasing power:
| In Champaign-Urbana | In Binghamton | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,086 | +$86 |
| $75,000 | $75,129 | +$129 |
| $100,000 | $100,172 | +$172 |
| $150,000 | $150,257 | +$257 |
$ in Champaign-Urbana = in Binghamton
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.7 → 92.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Binghamton more expensive than Champaign-Urbana?
Binghamton is 0.2% more expensive than Champaign-Urbana. The overall cost index is 92.9 vs 92.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Binghamton equals $100K in Champaign-Urbana?
A $100,000 salary in Champaign-Urbana has the same purchasing power as $100,172 in Binghamton. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Champaign-Urbana and Binghamton?
Rents in Champaign-Urbana are indexed at 71.6 while Binghamton is at 69.7 (national average = 100). Champaign-Urbana 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.