Overall
- Grand Forks
- 86.7
- Decatur
- 87.2
Diff +0.5 RPP
Grand Forks vs Decatur
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Decatur is 0.6% more expensive than Grand Forks.
0.6% more expensive
Decatur, AL is 0.6% more expensive than Grand Forks, ND-MN on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 87.2 vs 86.7). A $100,000 salary in Grand Forks buys about the same as $100,633 in Decatur; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 86.7 (Grand Forks) vs 87.2 (Decatur)
- $100k in Grand Forks ≈ $100,633 purchasing power in Decatur
- Services drives the gap (+7.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ND:AL 86.7→87.2
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE ND × AL
- 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.
Grand Forks
86.7
Cost Index
Decatur
87.2
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Grand Forks, ND-MN and Decatur, AL are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.5 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Decatur is 7.7 points higher. 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Grand Forks to $100,633 in Decatur, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Grand Forks
- 95.6
- Decatur
- 96.4
Diff +0.8 RPP
Services
- Grand Forks
- 77.1
- Decatur
- 84.7
Diff +7.7 RPP
Rents
- Grand Forks
- 59.7
- Decatur
- 58.1
Diff -1.6 RPP
| Category | Grand Forks | Decatur | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 86.7 | 87.2 | +0.5 |
| Goods | 95.6 | 96.4 | +0.8 |
| Services | 77.1 | 84.7 | +7.7 |
| Rents | 59.7 | 58.1 | -1.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Grand Forks 86.7
Decatur 87.2
Goods
Grand Forks 95.6
Decatur 96.4
Services
Grand Forks 77.1
Decatur 84.7
Rents
Grand Forks 59.7
Decatur 58.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Grand Forks would need to be in Decatur for the same purchasing power:
| In Grand Forks | In Decatur | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,317 | +$317 |
| $75,000 | $75,475 | +$475 |
| $100,000 | $100,633 | +$633 |
| $150,000 | $150,950 | +$950 |
$ in Grand Forks = in Decatur
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (86.7 → 87.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Decatur more expensive than Grand Forks?
Decatur is 0.6% more expensive than Grand Forks. The overall cost index is 87.2 vs 86.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Decatur equals $100K in Grand Forks?
A $100,000 salary in Grand Forks has the same purchasing power as $100,633 in Decatur. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Grand Forks and Decatur?
Rents in Grand Forks are indexed at 59.7 while Decatur is at 58.1 (national average = 100). Grand Forks 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.