Overall
- Elmira
- 94.4
- Lewiston-Auburn
- 94.7
Diff +0.3 RPP
Elmira vs Lewiston-Auburn
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Lewiston-Auburn is 0.4% more expensive than Elmira.
0.4% more expensive
Lewiston-Auburn, ME is 0.4% more expensive than Elmira, NY on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 94.7 vs 94.4). A $100,000 salary in Elmira buys about the same as $100,358 in Lewiston-Auburn; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 94.4 (Elmira) vs 94.7 (Lewiston-Auburn)
- $100k in Elmira ≈ $100,358 purchasing power in Lewiston-Auburn
- Rents drives the gap (-7.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NY:ME 94.4→94.7
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NY × ME
- 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.
Elmira
94.4
Cost Index
Lewiston-Auburn
94.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Elmira, NY and Lewiston-Auburn, ME 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 creates the largest separation: Lewiston-Auburn is 7.4 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 Elmira corresponds to $100,358 in Lewiston-Auburn.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Elmira
- 99.7
- Lewiston-Auburn
- 97.2
Diff -2.5 RPP
Services
- Elmira
- 131.6
- Lewiston-Auburn
- 134.4
Diff +2.8 RPP
Rents
- Elmira
- 76.4
- Lewiston-Auburn
- 69.0
Diff -7.4 RPP
| Category | Elmira | Lewiston-Auburn | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 94.4 | 94.7 | +0.3 |
| Goods | 99.7 | 97.2 | -2.5 |
| Services | 131.6 | 134.4 | +2.8 |
| Rents | 76.4 | 69.0 | -7.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Elmira 94.4
Lewiston-Auburn 94.7
Goods
Elmira 99.7
Lewiston-Auburn 97.2
Services
Elmira 131.6
Lewiston-Auburn 134.4
Rents
Elmira 76.4
Lewiston-Auburn 69.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Elmira would need to be in Lewiston-Auburn for the same purchasing power:
| In Elmira | In Lewiston-Auburn | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,179 | +$179 |
| $75,000 | $75,269 | +$269 |
| $100,000 | $100,358 | +$358 |
| $150,000 | $150,537 | +$537 |
$ in Elmira = in Lewiston-Auburn
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (94.4 → 94.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lewiston-Auburn more expensive than Elmira?
Lewiston-Auburn is 0.4% more expensive than Elmira. The overall cost index is 94.7 vs 94.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Lewiston-Auburn equals $100K in Elmira?
A $100,000 salary in Elmira has the same purchasing power as $100,358 in Lewiston-Auburn. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Elmira and Lewiston-Auburn?
Rents in Elmira are indexed at 76.4 while Lewiston-Auburn is at 69.0 (national average = 100). Elmira 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.