Overall
- Johnson City
- 87.9
- Cleveland
- 88.1
Diff +0.2 RPP
Johnson City vs Cleveland
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Cleveland is 0.2% more expensive than Johnson City.
0.2% more expensive
Cleveland, TN is 0.2% more expensive than Johnson City, TN on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 88.1 vs 87.9). A $100,000 salary in Johnson City buys about the same as $100,173 in Cleveland; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 87.9 (Johnson City) vs 88.1 (Cleveland)
- $100k in Johnson City ≈ $100,173 purchasing power in Cleveland
- Rents drives the gap (-2.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TN:TN 87.9→88.1
PHOTO-FINISH · SAME-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- SAME-STATE Same state · TN
- 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.
Johnson City
87.9
Cost Index
Cleveland
88.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Johnson City, TN and Cleveland, TN 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: Cleveland is 2.8 points lower. But rents 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 Johnson City corresponds to $100,173 in Cleveland.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Johnson City
- 96.2
- Cleveland
- 96.2
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
- Johnson City
- 71.9
- Cleveland
- 72.3
Diff +0.4 RPP
Rents
- Johnson City
- 63.2
- Cleveland
- 60.3
Diff -2.8 RPP
| Category | Johnson City | Cleveland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 87.9 | 88.1 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 96.2 | 0.0 |
| Services | 71.9 | 72.3 | +0.4 |
| Rents | 63.2 | 60.3 | -2.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Johnson City 87.9
Cleveland 88.1
Goods
Johnson City 96.2
Cleveland 96.2
Services
Johnson City 71.9
Cleveland 72.3
Rents
Johnson City 63.2
Cleveland 60.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Johnson City would need to be in Cleveland for the same purchasing power:
| In Johnson City | In Cleveland | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,086 | +$86 |
| $75,000 | $75,130 | +$130 |
| $100,000 | $100,173 | +$173 |
| $150,000 | $150,259 | +$259 |
$ in Johnson City = in Cleveland
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (87.9 → 88.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cleveland more expensive than Johnson City?
Cleveland is 0.2% more expensive than Johnson City. The overall cost index is 88.1 vs 87.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Cleveland equals $100K in Johnson City?
A $100,000 salary in Johnson City has the same purchasing power as $100,173 in Cleveland. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Johnson City and Cleveland?
Rents in Johnson City are indexed at 63.2 while Cleveland is at 60.3 (national average = 100). Johnson City 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.