Overall
- Topeka
- 88.8
Diff -0.3 RPP
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island vs Topeka
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Topeka is 0.3% less expensive than Davenport-Moline-Rock Island.
0.3% less expensive
Topeka, KS is 0.3% less expensive than Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 88.8 vs 89.1). A $100,000 salary in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island buys about the same as $99,709 in Topeka; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 89.1 (Davenport-Moline-Rock Island) vs 88.8 (Topeka)
- $100k in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island ≈ $99,709 purchasing power in Topeka
- Rents drives the gap (-3.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IA:KS 89.1→88.8
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE IA × KS
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- 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
Topeka
88.8
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL and Topeka, KS are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents leads the difference, with Topeka 3.4 points lower than Davenport-Moline-Rock Island. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
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 $99,709 in Topeka.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Topeka
- 94.0
Diff -0.2 RPP
Services
- Topeka
- 88.9
Diff -1.0 RPP
Rents
- Topeka
- 65.0
Diff -3.4 RPP
| Category | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | Topeka | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 89.1 | 88.8 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 94.2 | 94.0 | -0.2 |
| Services | 89.9 | 88.9 | -1.0 |
| Rents | 68.3 | 65.0 | -3.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island 89.1
Topeka 88.8
Goods
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island 94.2
Topeka 94.0
Services
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island 89.9
Topeka 88.9
Rents
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island 68.3
Topeka 65.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island would need to be in Topeka for the same purchasing power:
| In Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | In Topeka | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,855 | $-145 |
| $75,000 | $74,782 | $-218 |
| $100,000 | $99,709 | $-291 |
| $150,000 | $149,564 | $-436 |
$ in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island = in Topeka
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (89.1 → 88.8), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Topeka more expensive than Davenport-Moline-Rock Island?
Topeka is 0.3% less expensive than Davenport-Moline-Rock Island. The overall cost index is 88.8 vs 89.1 (national average = 100).
What salary in Topeka equals $100K in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island?
A $100,000 salary in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island has the same purchasing power as $99,709 in Topeka. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Davenport-Moline-Rock Island and Topeka?
Rents in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island are indexed at 68.3 while Topeka is at 65.0 (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.