Overall
- Grand Forks
- 86.7
- Kingsport-Bristol
- 86.4
Diff -0.2 RPP
Grand Forks vs Kingsport-Bristol
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Kingsport-Bristol is 0.2% less expensive than Grand Forks.
0.2% less expensive
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA is 0.2% less expensive than Grand Forks, ND-MN on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 86.4 vs 86.7). A $100,000 salary in Grand Forks buys about the same as $99,751 in Kingsport-Bristol; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 86.7 (Grand Forks) vs 86.4 (Kingsport-Bristol)
- $100k in Grand Forks ≈ $99,751 purchasing power in Kingsport-Bristol
- Rents drives the gap (-3.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ND:TN 86.7→86.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE ND × TN
- 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
Kingsport-Bristol
86.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Grand Forks, ND-MN and Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Kingsport-Bristol is 3.2 points lower. But 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 Grand Forks corresponds to $99,751 in Kingsport-Bristol.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Grand Forks
- 95.6
- Kingsport-Bristol
- 96.2
Diff +0.6 RPP
Services
- Grand Forks
- 77.1
- Kingsport-Bristol
- 75.9
Diff -1.2 RPP
Rents
- Grand Forks
- 59.7
- Kingsport-Bristol
- 56.5
Diff -3.2 RPP
| Category | Grand Forks | Kingsport-Bristol | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 86.7 | 86.4 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 95.6 | 96.2 | +0.6 |
| Services | 77.1 | 75.9 | -1.2 |
| Rents | 59.7 | 56.5 | -3.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Grand Forks 86.7
Kingsport-Bristol 86.4
Goods
Grand Forks 95.6
Kingsport-Bristol 96.2
Services
Grand Forks 77.1
Kingsport-Bristol 75.9
Rents
Grand Forks 59.7
Kingsport-Bristol 56.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Grand Forks would need to be in Kingsport-Bristol for the same purchasing power:
| In Grand Forks | In Kingsport-Bristol | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,875 | $-125 |
| $75,000 | $74,813 | $-187 |
| $100,000 | $99,751 | $-249 |
| $150,000 | $149,626 | $-374 |
$ in Grand Forks = in Kingsport-Bristol
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (86.7 → 86.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kingsport-Bristol more expensive than Grand Forks?
Kingsport-Bristol is 0.2% less expensive than Grand Forks. The overall cost index is 86.4 vs 86.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Kingsport-Bristol equals $100K in Grand Forks?
A $100,000 salary in Grand Forks has the same purchasing power as $99,751 in Kingsport-Bristol. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Grand Forks and Kingsport-Bristol?
Rents in Grand Forks are indexed at 59.7 while Kingsport-Bristol is at 56.5 (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.