Overall
- Bismarck
- 91.0
Diff -0.3 RPP
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers vs Bismarck
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Bismarck is 0.4% less expensive than Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers.
0.4% less expensive
Bismarck, ND is 0.4% less expensive than Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 91.0 vs 91.4). A $100,000 salary in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers buys about the same as $99,640 in Bismarck; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 91.4 (Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers) vs 91.0 (Bismarck)
- $100k in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers ≈ $99,640 purchasing power in Bismarck
- Rents drives the gap (+7.1 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AR:ND 91.4→91.0
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE AR × ND
- 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.
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers
91.4
Cost Index
Bismarck
91.0
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR and Bismarck, ND 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: Bismarck is 7.1 points higher. 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 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers corresponds to $99,640 in Bismarck.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Bismarck
- 95.7
Diff +2.1 RPP
Services
- Bismarck
- 75.0
Diff -0.1 RPP
Rents
- Bismarck
- 84.0
Diff +7.1 RPP
| Category | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers | Bismarck | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 91.4 | 91.0 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 93.6 | 95.7 | +2.1 |
| Services | 75.1 | 75.0 | -0.1 |
| Rents | 76.9 | 84.0 | +7.1 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers 91.4
Bismarck 91.0
Goods
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers 93.6
Bismarck 95.7
Services
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers 75.1
Bismarck 75.0
Rents
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers 76.9
Bismarck 84.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers would need to be in Bismarck for the same purchasing power:
| In Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers | In Bismarck | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,820 | $-180 |
| $75,000 | $74,730 | $-270 |
| $100,000 | $99,640 | $-360 |
| $150,000 | $149,460 | $-540 |
$ in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers = in Bismarck
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (91.4 → 91.0), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bismarck more expensive than Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers?
Bismarck is 0.4% less expensive than Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers. The overall cost index is 91.0 vs 91.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Bismarck equals $100K in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers?
A $100,000 salary in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers has the same purchasing power as $99,640 in Bismarck. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers and Bismarck?
Rents in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers are indexed at 76.9 while Bismarck is at 84.0 (national average = 100). Bismarck 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.