Overall
- Sandusky
- 89.3
Diff +0.2 RPP
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island vs Sandusky
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Sandusky is 0.2% more expensive than Davenport-Moline-Rock Island.
0.2% more expensive
Sandusky, OH is 0.2% more expensive than Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 89.3 vs 89.1). A $100,000 salary in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island buys about the same as $100,227 in Sandusky; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 89.1 (Davenport-Moline-Rock Island) vs 89.3 (Sandusky)
- $100k in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island ≈ $100,227 purchasing power in Sandusky
- Rents drives the gap (-8.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IA:OH 89.1→89.3
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE IA × OH
- 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.
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
89.1
Cost Index
Sandusky
89.3
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL and Sandusky, OH 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: Sandusky is 8.9 points lower. But rents and goods 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 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island corresponds to $100,227 in Sandusky.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Sandusky
- 93.6
Diff -0.6 RPP
Services
- Sandusky
- 96.7
Diff +6.8 RPP
Rents
- Sandusky
- 59.5
Diff -8.9 RPP
| Category | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | Sandusky | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 89.1 | 89.3 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 94.2 | 93.6 | -0.6 |
| Services | 89.9 | 96.7 | +6.8 |
| Rents | 68.3 | 59.5 | -8.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island 89.1
Sandusky 89.3
Goods
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island 94.2
Sandusky 93.6
Services
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island 89.9
Sandusky 96.7
Rents
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island 68.3
Sandusky 59.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island would need to be in Sandusky for the same purchasing power:
| In Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | In Sandusky | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,113 | +$113 |
| $75,000 | $75,170 | +$170 |
| $100,000 | $100,227 | +$227 |
| $150,000 | $150,340 | +$340 |
$ in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island = in Sandusky
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (89.1 → 89.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sandusky more expensive than Davenport-Moline-Rock Island?
Sandusky is 0.2% more expensive than Davenport-Moline-Rock Island. The overall cost index is 89.3 vs 89.1 (national average = 100).
What salary in Sandusky equals $100K in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island?
A $100,000 salary in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island has the same purchasing power as $100,227 in Sandusky. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Davenport-Moline-Rock Island and Sandusky?
Rents in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island are indexed at 68.3 while Sandusky is at 59.5 (national average = 100). Davenport-Moline-Rock Island 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.