Overall
Diff +1.9 RPP
Dothan vs Joplin
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Joplin is 2.2% more expensive than Dothan.
2.2% more expensive
Joplin, MO-KS is 2.2% more expensive than Dothan, AL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 85.7 vs 83.8). A $100,000 salary in Dothan buys about the same as $102,249 in Joplin; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 83.8 (Dothan) vs 85.7 (Joplin)
- $100k in Dothan ≈ $102,249 purchasing power in Joplin
- Rents drives the gap (+7.1 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AL:MO 83.8→85.7
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE AL × MO
- 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.
Dothan
83.8
Cost Index
Joplin
85.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Dothan, AL and Joplin, MO-KS are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.9 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Joplin is 7.1 points higher. But 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 Dothan corresponds to $102,249 in Joplin.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff -2.2 RPP
Services
Diff +1.6 RPP
Rents
Diff +7.1 RPP
| Category | Dothan | Joplin | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 83.8 | 85.7 | +1.9 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 94.2 | -2.2 |
| Services | 84.3 | 85.9 | +1.6 |
| Rents | 46.9 | 54.0 | +7.1 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Dothan 83.8
Joplin 85.7
Goods
Dothan 96.4
Joplin 94.2
Services
Dothan 84.3
Joplin 85.9
Rents
Dothan 46.9
Joplin 54.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Dothan would need to be in Joplin for the same purchasing power:
| In Dothan | In Joplin | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $51,124 | +$1,124 |
| $75,000 | $76,686 | +$1,686 |
| $100,000 | $102,249 | +$2,249 |
| $150,000 | $153,373 | +$3,373 |
$ in Dothan = in Joplin
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (83.8 → 85.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Joplin more expensive than Dothan?
Joplin is 2.2% more expensive than Dothan. The overall cost index is 85.7 vs 83.8 (national average = 100).
What salary in Joplin equals $100K in Dothan?
A $100,000 salary in Dothan has the same purchasing power as $102,249 in Joplin. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Dothan and Joplin?
Rents in Dothan are indexed at 46.9 while Joplin is at 54.0 (national average = 100). Joplin 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.