Overall
- Janesville-Beloit
- 93.7
- Billings
- 93.5
Diff -0.2 RPP
Janesville-Beloit vs Billings
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Billings is 0.2% less expensive than Janesville-Beloit.
0.2% less expensive
Billings, MT is 0.2% less expensive than Janesville-Beloit, WI on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 93.5 vs 93.7). A $100,000 salary in Janesville-Beloit buys about the same as $99,811 in Billings; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 93.7 (Janesville-Beloit) vs 93.5 (Billings)
- $100k in Janesville-Beloit ≈ $99,811 purchasing power in Billings
- Services drives the gap (-17.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WI:MT 93.7→93.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WI × MT
- 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.
Janesville-Beloit
93.7
Cost Index
Billings
93.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Janesville-Beloit, WI and Billings, MT 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.
Services creates the largest separation: Billings 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Janesville-Beloit to $99,811 in Billings, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Janesville-Beloit
- 93.8
- Billings
- 96.0
Diff +2.2 RPP
Services
- Janesville-Beloit
- 90.4
- Billings
- 72.4
Diff -17.9 RPP
Rents
- Janesville-Beloit
- 79.6
- Billings
- 77.4
Diff -2.2 RPP
| Category | Janesville-Beloit | Billings | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 93.7 | 93.5 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 96.0 | +2.2 |
| Services | 90.4 | 72.4 | -17.9 |
| Rents | 79.6 | 77.4 | -2.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Janesville-Beloit 93.7
Billings 93.5
Goods
Janesville-Beloit 93.8
Billings 96.0
Services
Janesville-Beloit 90.4
Billings 72.4
Rents
Janesville-Beloit 79.6
Billings 77.4
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Janesville-Beloit would need to be in Billings for the same purchasing power:
| In Janesville-Beloit | In Billings | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,906 | $-94 |
| $75,000 | $74,858 | $-142 |
| $100,000 | $99,811 | $-189 |
| $150,000 | $149,717 | $-283 |
$ in Janesville-Beloit = in Billings
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (93.7 → 93.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Billings more expensive than Janesville-Beloit?
Billings is 0.2% less expensive than Janesville-Beloit. The overall cost index is 93.5 vs 93.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Billings equals $100K in Janesville-Beloit?
A $100,000 salary in Janesville-Beloit has the same purchasing power as $99,811 in Billings. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Janesville-Beloit and Billings?
Rents in Janesville-Beloit are indexed at 79.6 while Billings is at 77.4 (national average = 100). Janesville-Beloit 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.