Overall
- Ames
- 88.8
Diff +0.3 RPP
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton vs Ames
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Ames is 0.4% more expensive than Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton.
0.4% more expensive
Ames, IA is 0.4% more expensive than Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 88.8 vs 88.5). A $100,000 salary in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton buys about the same as $100,389 in Ames; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 88.5 (Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton) vs 88.8 (Ames)
- $100k in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton ≈ $100,389 purchasing power in Ames
- Rents drives the gap (+9.6 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NC:IA 88.5→88.8
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NC × IA
- 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.
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton
88.5
Cost Index
Ames
88.8
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC and Ames, IA 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: Ames is 9.6 points higher. But services 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 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton corresponds to $100,389 in Ames.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Ames
- 93.7
Diff -2.9 RPP
Services
- Ames
- 83.0
Diff -4.8 RPP
Rents
- Ames
- 69.2
Diff +9.6 RPP
| Category | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton | Ames | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 88.5 | 88.8 | +0.3 |
| Goods | 96.6 | 93.7 | -2.9 |
| Services | 87.8 | 83.0 | -4.8 |
| Rents | 59.6 | 69.2 | +9.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton 88.5
Ames 88.8
Goods
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton 96.6
Ames 93.7
Services
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton 87.8
Ames 83.0
Rents
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton 59.6
Ames 69.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton would need to be in Ames for the same purchasing power:
| In Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton | In Ames | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,194 | +$194 |
| $75,000 | $75,292 | +$292 |
| $100,000 | $100,389 | +$389 |
| $150,000 | $150,583 | +$583 |
$ in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton = in Ames
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (88.5 → 88.8), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ames more expensive than Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton?
Ames is 0.4% more expensive than Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton. The overall cost index is 88.8 vs 88.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in Ames equals $100K in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton?
A $100,000 salary in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton has the same purchasing power as $100,389 in Ames. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton and Ames?
Rents in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton are indexed at 59.6 while Ames is at 69.2 (national average = 100). Ames 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.