Overall
- Walla Walla
- 98.5
Diff -0.1 RPP
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands vs Walla Walla
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Walla Walla is 0.1% less expensive than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands.
0.1% less expensive
Walla Walla, WA is 0.1% less expensive than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.5 vs 98.6). A $100,000 salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands buys about the same as $99,888 in Walla Walla; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.6 (Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands) vs 98.5 (Walla Walla)
- $100k in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands ≈ $99,888 purchasing power in Walla Walla
- Rents drives the gap (-17.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TX:WA 98.6→98.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE TX × WA
- 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.
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
98.6
Cost Index
Walla Walla
98.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX and Walla Walla, WA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Walla Walla is 17.9 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands corresponds to $99,888 in Walla Walla.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Walla Walla
- 105.0
Diff +4.4 RPP
Services
- Walla Walla
- 94.3
Diff -1.0 RPP
Rents
- Walla Walla
- 86.6
Diff -17.9 RPP
| Category | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | Walla Walla | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.6 | 98.5 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 100.6 | 105.0 | +4.4 |
| Services | 95.3 | 94.3 | -1.0 |
| Rents | 104.5 | 86.6 | -17.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands 98.6
Walla Walla 98.5
Goods
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands 100.6
Walla Walla 105.0
Services
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands 95.3
Walla Walla 94.3
Rents
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands 104.5
Walla Walla 86.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands would need to be in Walla Walla for the same purchasing power:
| In Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | In Walla Walla | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,944 | $-56 |
| $75,000 | $74,916 | $-84 |
| $100,000 | $99,888 | $-112 |
| $150,000 | $149,833 | $-167 |
$ in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands = in Walla Walla
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.6 → 98.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Walla Walla more expensive than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Walla Walla is 0.1% less expensive than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands. The overall cost index is 98.5 vs 98.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Walla Walla equals $100K in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
A $100,000 salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has the same purchasing power as $99,888 in Walla Walla. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands and Walla Walla?
Rents in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands are indexed at 104.5 while Walla Walla is at 86.6 (national average = 100). Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands 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.