Overall
- Coeur d'Alene
- 98.3
Diff -7.3 RPP
Coeur d'Alene vs College Station-Bryan
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. College Station-Bryan is 7.5% less expensive than Coeur d'Alene.
7.5% less expensive
College Station-Bryan, TX is 7.5% less expensive than Coeur d'Alene, ID on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 91.0 vs 98.3). A $100,000 salary in Coeur d'Alene buys about the same as $92,530 in College Station-Bryan; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.3 (Coeur d'Alene) vs 91.0 (College Station-Bryan)
- $100k in Coeur d'Alene ≈ $92,530 purchasing power in College Station-Bryan
- Rents drives the gap (-30.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ID:TX 98.3→91.0
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE ID × TX
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
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.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Coeur d'Alene
- 96.2
Diff -2.4 RPP
Services
- Coeur d'Alene
- 70.8
Diff +13.6 RPP
Rents
- Coeur d'Alene
- 105.6
Diff -30.5 RPP
| Category | Coeur d'Alene | College Station-Bryan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.3 | 91.0 | -7.3 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 93.8 | -2.4 |
| Services | 70.8 | 84.4 | +13.6 |
| Rents | 105.6 | 75.1 | -30.5 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Coeur d'Alene 98.3
College Station-Bryan 91.0
Goods
Coeur d'Alene 96.2
College Station-Bryan 93.8
Services
Coeur d'Alene 70.8
College Station-Bryan 84.4
Rents
Coeur d'Alene 105.6
College Station-Bryan 75.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: College Station-Bryan is 30.5 points lower. But services move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
College Station-Bryan, TX is 7.5% less expensive than Coeur d'Alene, ID, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 7.3-point overall gap.
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.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
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 Coeur d'Alene corresponds to $92,530 in College Station-Bryan.
Coeur d'Alene
98.3
Cost Index
College Station-Bryan
91.0
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Coeur d'Alene would need to be in College Station-Bryan for the same purchasing power:
| In Coeur d'Alene | In College Station-Bryan | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $46,265 | $-3,735 |
| $75,000 | $69,398 | $-5,602 |
| $100,000 | $92,530 | $-7,470 |
| $150,000 | $138,796 | $-11,204 |
$ in Coeur d'Alene = in College Station-Bryan
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.3 → 91.0), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is College Station-Bryan more expensive than Coeur d'Alene?
College Station-Bryan is 7.5% less expensive than Coeur d'Alene. The overall cost index is 91.0 vs 98.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in College Station-Bryan equals $100K in Coeur d'Alene?
A $100,000 salary in Coeur d'Alene has the same purchasing power as $92,530 in College Station-Bryan. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Coeur d'Alene and College Station-Bryan?
Rents in Coeur d'Alene are indexed at 105.6 while College Station-Bryan is at 75.1 (national average = 100). Coeur d'Alene 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.