Overall
- Janesville-Beloit
- 93.7
- Monroe
- 93.5
Diff -0.2 RPP
Janesville-Beloit vs Monroe
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Monroe is 0.2% less expensive than Janesville-Beloit.
0.2% less expensive
Monroe, MI 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 $99,775 in Monroe; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 93.7 (Janesville-Beloit) vs 93.5 (Monroe)
- $100k in Janesville-Beloit ≈ $99,775 purchasing power in Monroe
- Rents drives the gap (-4.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WI:MI 93.7→93.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WI × MI
- 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
Monroe
93.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Janesville-Beloit, WI and Monroe, MI 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: Monroe is 4.9 points lower. But services 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 Janesville-Beloit corresponds to $99,775 in Monroe.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Janesville-Beloit
- 93.8
- Monroe
- 93.7
Diff -0.1 RPP
Services
- Janesville-Beloit
- 90.4
- Monroe
- 93.7
Diff +3.3 RPP
Rents
- Janesville-Beloit
- 79.6
- Monroe
- 74.6
Diff -4.9 RPP
| Category | Janesville-Beloit | Monroe | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 93.7 | 93.5 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 93.7 | -0.1 |
| Services | 90.4 | 93.7 | +3.3 |
| Rents | 79.6 | 74.6 | -4.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Janesville-Beloit 93.7
Monroe 93.5
Goods
Janesville-Beloit 93.8
Monroe 93.7
Services
Janesville-Beloit 90.4
Monroe 93.7
Rents
Janesville-Beloit 79.6
Monroe 74.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Janesville-Beloit would need to be in Monroe for the same purchasing power:
| In Janesville-Beloit | In Monroe | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,887 | $-113 |
| $75,000 | $74,831 | $-169 |
| $100,000 | $99,775 | $-225 |
| $150,000 | $149,662 | $-338 |
$ in Janesville-Beloit = in Monroe
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 Monroe more expensive than Janesville-Beloit?
Monroe is 0.2% less expensive than Janesville-Beloit. The overall cost index is 93.5 vs 93.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Monroe equals $100K in Janesville-Beloit?
A $100,000 salary in Janesville-Beloit has the same purchasing power as $99,775 in Monroe. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Janesville-Beloit and Monroe?
Rents in Janesville-Beloit are indexed at 79.6 while Monroe is at 74.6 (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.