Overall
- Fargo
- 90.9
Diff +0.3 RPP
Fargo vs Staunton-Stuarts Draft
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Staunton-Stuarts Draft is 0.3% more expensive than Fargo.
0.3% more expensive
Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA is 0.3% more expensive than Fargo, ND-MN on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 91.1 vs 90.9). A $100,000 salary in Fargo buys about the same as $100,283 in Staunton-Stuarts Draft; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 90.9 (Fargo) vs 91.1 (Staunton-Stuarts Draft)
- $100k in Fargo ≈ $100,283 purchasing power in Staunton-Stuarts Draft
- Rents drives the gap (-12.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ND:VA 90.9→91.1
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE ND × VA
- 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.
Fargo
90.9
Cost Index
Staunton-Stuarts Draft
91.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Fargo, ND-MN and Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA 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: Staunton-Stuarts Draft is 12.9 points lower. But rents 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 Fargo corresponds to $100,283 in Staunton-Stuarts Draft.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Fargo
- 95.7
Diff +1.1 RPP
Services
- Fargo
- 77.3
Diff +12.2 RPP
Rents
- Fargo
- 81.1
Diff -12.9 RPP
| Category | Fargo | Staunton-Stuarts Draft | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 90.9 | 91.1 | +0.3 |
| Goods | 95.7 | 96.8 | +1.1 |
| Services | 77.3 | 89.5 | +12.2 |
| Rents | 81.1 | 68.2 | -12.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Fargo 90.9
Staunton-Stuarts Draft 91.1
Goods
Fargo 95.7
Staunton-Stuarts Draft 96.8
Services
Fargo 77.3
Staunton-Stuarts Draft 89.5
Rents
Fargo 81.1
Staunton-Stuarts Draft 68.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Fargo would need to be in Staunton-Stuarts Draft for the same purchasing power:
| In Fargo | In Staunton-Stuarts Draft | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,141 | +$141 |
| $75,000 | $75,212 | +$212 |
| $100,000 | $100,283 | +$283 |
| $150,000 | $150,424 | +$424 |
$ in Fargo = in Staunton-Stuarts Draft
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (90.9 → 91.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Staunton-Stuarts Draft more expensive than Fargo?
Staunton-Stuarts Draft is 0.3% more expensive than Fargo. The overall cost index is 91.1 vs 90.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Staunton-Stuarts Draft equals $100K in Fargo?
A $100,000 salary in Fargo has the same purchasing power as $100,283 in Staunton-Stuarts Draft. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Fargo and Staunton-Stuarts Draft?
Rents in Fargo are indexed at 81.1 while Staunton-Stuarts Draft is at 68.2 (national average = 100). Fargo 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.