Overall
- Kenosha
- 101.1
Diff +0.2 RPP
Charleston-North Charleston vs Kenosha
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Kenosha is 0.2% more expensive than Charleston-North Charleston.
0.2% more expensive
Kenosha, WI is 0.2% more expensive than Charleston-North Charleston, SC on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 101.1 vs 101.0). A $100,000 salary in Charleston-North Charleston buys about the same as $100,155 in Kenosha; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 101.0 (Charleston-North Charleston) vs 101.1 (Kenosha)
- $100k in Charleston-North Charleston ≈ $100,155 purchasing power in Kenosha
- Rents drives the gap (-24.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair SC:WI 101.0→101.1
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE SC × WI
- 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.
Charleston-North Charleston
101.0
Cost Index
Kenosha
101.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Charleston-North Charleston, SC and Kenosha, WI 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.
Rents creates the largest separation: Kenosha is 24.0 points lower. But rents and 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 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 housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Charleston-North Charleston corresponds to $100,155 in Kenosha.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Kenosha
- 106.2
Diff +9.8 RPP
Services
- Kenosha
- 85.9
Diff -2.4 RPP
Rents
- Kenosha
- 95.8
Diff -24.0 RPP
| Category | Charleston-North Charleston | Kenosha | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 101.0 | 101.1 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 96.3 | 106.2 | +9.8 |
| Services | 88.2 | 85.9 | -2.4 |
| Rents | 119.8 | 95.8 | -24.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Charleston-North Charleston 101.0
Kenosha 101.1
Goods
Charleston-North Charleston 96.3
Kenosha 106.2
Services
Charleston-North Charleston 88.2
Kenosha 85.9
Rents
Charleston-North Charleston 119.8
Kenosha 95.8
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Charleston-North Charleston would need to be in Kenosha for the same purchasing power:
| In Charleston-North Charleston | In Kenosha | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,077 | +$77 |
| $75,000 | $75,116 | +$116 |
| $100,000 | $100,155 | +$155 |
| $150,000 | $150,232 | +$232 |
$ in Charleston-North Charleston = in Kenosha
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (101.0 → 101.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kenosha more expensive than Charleston-North Charleston?
Kenosha is 0.2% more expensive than Charleston-North Charleston. The overall cost index is 101.1 vs 101.0 (national average = 100).
What salary in Kenosha equals $100K in Charleston-North Charleston?
A $100,000 salary in Charleston-North Charleston has the same purchasing power as $100,155 in Kenosha. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Charleston-North Charleston and Kenosha?
Rents in Charleston-North Charleston are indexed at 119.8 while Kenosha is at 95.8 (national average = 100). Charleston-North Charleston 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.