Overall
- Coeur d'Alene
- 98.3
- Fargo
- 90.9
Diff -7.4 RPP
Coeur d'Alene vs Fargo
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Fargo is 7.6% less expensive than Coeur d'Alene.
7.6% less expensive
Fargo, ND-MN is 7.6% less expensive than Coeur d'Alene, ID on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 90.9 vs 98.3). A $100,000 salary in Coeur d'Alene buys about the same as $92,449 in Fargo; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.3 (Coeur d'Alene) vs 90.9 (Fargo)
- $100k in Coeur d'Alene ≈ $92,449 purchasing power in Fargo
- Rents drives the gap (-24.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ID:ND 98.3→90.9
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE ID × ND
- 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
- Fargo
- 95.7
Diff -0.5 RPP
Services
- Coeur d'Alene
- 70.8
- Fargo
- 77.3
Diff +6.6 RPP
Rents
- Coeur d'Alene
- 105.6
- Fargo
- 81.1
Diff -24.5 RPP
| Category | Coeur d'Alene | Fargo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.3 | 90.9 | -7.4 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 95.7 | -0.5 |
| Services | 70.8 | 77.3 | +6.6 |
| Rents | 105.6 | 81.1 | -24.5 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Coeur d'Alene 98.3
Fargo 90.9
Goods
Coeur d'Alene 96.2
Fargo 95.7
Services
Coeur d'Alene 70.8
Fargo 77.3
Rents
Coeur d'Alene 105.6
Fargo 81.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: Fargo is 24.5 points lower. But services move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Fargo, ND-MN is 7.6% less expensive than Coeur d'Alene, ID, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 7.4-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 $92,449 in Fargo.
Coeur d'Alene
98.3
Cost Index
Fargo
90.9
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Coeur d'Alene would need to be in Fargo for the same purchasing power:
| In Coeur d'Alene | In Fargo | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $46,225 | $-3,775 |
| $75,000 | $69,337 | $-5,663 |
| $100,000 | $92,449 | $-7,551 |
| $150,000 | $138,674 | $-11,326 |
$ in Coeur d'Alene = in Fargo
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.3 → 90.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fargo more expensive than Coeur d'Alene?
Fargo is 7.6% less expensive than Coeur d'Alene. The overall cost index is 90.9 vs 98.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Fargo equals $100K in Coeur d'Alene?
A $100,000 salary in Coeur d'Alene has the same purchasing power as $92,449 in Fargo. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Coeur d'Alene and Fargo?
Rents in Coeur d'Alene are indexed at 105.6 while Fargo is at 81.1 (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.