Overall
- Grand Forks
- 86.7
- Grand Island
- 86.7
Diff -0.0 RPP
Grand Forks vs Grand Island
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Grand Island is 0% less expensive than Grand Forks.
0% less expensive
Grand Island, NE is 0% less expensive than Grand Forks, ND-MN on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 86.7 vs 86.7). A $100,000 salary in Grand Forks buys about the same as $99,993 in Grand Island; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 86.7 (Grand Forks) vs 86.7 (Grand Island)
- $100k in Grand Forks ≈ $99,993 purchasing power in Grand Island
- Services drives the gap (-2.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ND:NE 86.7→86.7
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE ND × NE
- 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
Grand Island
86.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Grand Forks, ND-MN and Grand Island, NE are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.0 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Grand Island is 2.8 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 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 $99,993 in Grand Island, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Grand Forks
- 95.6
- Grand Island
- 94.1
Diff -1.5 RPP
Services
- Grand Forks
- 77.1
- Grand Island
- 74.2
Diff -2.8 RPP
Rents
- Grand Forks
- 59.7
- Grand Island
- 61.7
Diff +2.1 RPP
| Category | Grand Forks | Grand Island | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 86.7 | 86.7 | -0.0 |
| Goods | 95.6 | 94.1 | -1.5 |
| Services | 77.1 | 74.2 | -2.8 |
| Rents | 59.7 | 61.7 | +2.1 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Grand Forks 86.7
Grand Island 86.7
Goods
Grand Forks 95.6
Grand Island 94.1
Services
Grand Forks 77.1
Grand Island 74.2
Rents
Grand Forks 59.7
Grand Island 61.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Grand Forks would need to be in Grand Island for the same purchasing power:
| In Grand Forks | In Grand Island | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,997 | $-3 |
| $75,000 | $74,995 | $-5 |
| $100,000 | $99,993 | $-7 |
| $150,000 | $149,990 | $-10 |
$ in Grand Forks = in Grand Island
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (86.7 → 86.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Grand Island more expensive than Grand Forks?
Grand Island is 0% less expensive than Grand Forks. The overall cost index is 86.7 vs 86.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Grand Island equals $100K in Grand Forks?
A $100,000 salary in Grand Forks has the same purchasing power as $99,993 in Grand Island. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Grand Forks and Grand Island?
Rents in Grand Forks are indexed at 59.7 while Grand Island is at 61.7 (national average = 100). Grand Island 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.