Overall
- Harrisburg-Carlisle
- 98.7
- Yuma
- 92.7
Diff -5.9 RPP
Harrisburg-Carlisle vs Yuma
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Yuma is 6% less expensive than Harrisburg-Carlisle.
6% less expensive
Yuma, AZ is 6% less expensive than Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.7 vs 98.7). A $100,000 salary in Harrisburg-Carlisle buys about the same as $93,975 in Yuma; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.7 (Harrisburg-Carlisle) vs 92.7 (Yuma)
- $100k in Harrisburg-Carlisle ≈ $93,975 purchasing power in Yuma
- Rents drives the gap (-22.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair PA:AZ 98.7→92.7
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE PA × AZ
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
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.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Harrisburg-Carlisle would need to be in Yuma for the same purchasing power:
| In Harrisburg-Carlisle | In Yuma | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $46,987 | $-3,013 |
| $75,000 | $70,481 | $-4,519 |
| $100,000 | $93,975 | $-6,025 |
| $150,000 | $140,962 | $-9,038 |
$ in Harrisburg-Carlisle = in Yuma
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.7 → 92.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
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.
Yuma, AZ is 6% less expensive than Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 5.9-point overall gap.
Rents leads the difference, with Yuma 22.5 points lower than Harrisburg-Carlisle. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
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 Harrisburg-Carlisle corresponds to $93,975 in Yuma.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Harrisburg-Carlisle
- 100.7
- Yuma
- 96.2
Diff -4.4 RPP
Services
- Harrisburg-Carlisle
- 108.1
- Yuma
- 87.8
Diff -20.2 RPP
Rents
- Harrisburg-Carlisle
- 96.3
- Yuma
- 73.8
Diff -22.5 RPP
| Category | Harrisburg-Carlisle | Yuma | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.7 | 92.7 | -5.9 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 96.2 | -4.4 |
| Services | 108.1 | 87.8 | -20.2 |
| Rents | 96.3 | 73.8 | -22.5 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Harrisburg-Carlisle 98.7
Yuma 92.7
Goods
Harrisburg-Carlisle 100.7
Yuma 96.2
Services
Harrisburg-Carlisle 108.1
Yuma 87.8
Rents
Harrisburg-Carlisle 96.3
Yuma 73.8
Vertical line = national average (100)
Harrisburg-Carlisle
98.7
Cost Index
Yuma
92.7
Cost Index
How the Price Gap Changed
Harrisburg-Carlisle and Yuma share 17 published annual releases from 2008 through 2024. Their overall gap held broadly steady, moving from 6.6 to 5.9 RPP points. Harrisburg-Carlisle remained the higher-index metro in the latest release.
Rents changed the most within this pair: its gap moved 12.8 points between the first and latest shared releases (9.7 to 22.5 points). This describes a relative price-index history, not a forecast or a household budget.
| Release Year | Harrisburg-Carlisle RPP | Yuma RPP | Relative Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 99.0 | 92.4 | 6.6 points Harrisburg-Carlisle higher |
| 2012 | 97.0 | 93.8 | 3.2 points Harrisburg-Carlisle higher |
| 2016 | 98.2 | 92.7 | 5.5 points Harrisburg-Carlisle higher |
| 2020 | 96.1 | 88.7 | 7.5 points Harrisburg-Carlisle higher |
| 2024 | 98.7 | 92.7 | 5.9 points Harrisburg-Carlisle higher |
Annual BEA Regional Price Parity releases; a higher index means a higher price level relative to the national average of 100. Selected years shown from the full shared series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yuma more expensive than Harrisburg-Carlisle?
Yuma is 6% less expensive than Harrisburg-Carlisle. The overall cost index is 92.7 vs 98.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Yuma equals $100K in Harrisburg-Carlisle?
A $100,000 salary in Harrisburg-Carlisle has the same purchasing power as $93,975 in Yuma. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Harrisburg-Carlisle and Yuma?
Rents in Harrisburg-Carlisle are indexed at 96.3 while Yuma is at 73.8 (national average = 100). Harrisburg-Carlisle 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.