Overall
Diff -1.9 RPP
Joplin vs Dothan
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Dothan is 2.2% less expensive than Joplin.
2.2% less expensive
Dothan, AL is 2.2% less expensive than Joplin, MO-KS on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 83.8 vs 85.7). A $100,000 salary in Joplin buys about the same as $97,801 in Dothan; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 85.7 (Joplin) vs 83.8 (Dothan)
- $100k in Joplin ≈ $97,801 purchasing power in Dothan
- Rents drives the gap (-7.1 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair MO:AL 85.7→83.8
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE MO × AL
- 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.
Joplin
85.7
Cost Index
Dothan
83.8
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Joplin, MO-KS and Dothan, AL are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.9 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Dothan is 7.1 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 Joplin corresponds to $97,801 in Dothan.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff +2.2 RPP
Services
Diff -1.6 RPP
Rents
Diff -7.1 RPP
| Category | Joplin | Dothan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 85.7 | 83.8 | -1.9 |
| Goods | 94.2 | 96.4 | +2.2 |
| Services | 85.9 | 84.3 | -1.6 |
| Rents | 54.0 | 46.9 | -7.1 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Joplin 85.7
Dothan 83.8
Goods
Joplin 94.2
Dothan 96.4
Services
Joplin 85.9
Dothan 84.3
Rents
Joplin 54.0
Dothan 46.9
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Joplin would need to be in Dothan for the same purchasing power:
| In Joplin | In Dothan | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $48,900 | $-1,100 |
| $75,000 | $73,351 | $-1,649 |
| $100,000 | $97,801 | $-2,199 |
| $150,000 | $146,701 | $-3,299 |
$ in Joplin = in Dothan
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (85.7 → 83.8), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dothan more expensive than Joplin?
Dothan is 2.2% less expensive than Joplin. The overall cost index is 83.8 vs 85.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Dothan equals $100K in Joplin?
A $100,000 salary in Joplin has the same purchasing power as $97,801 in Dothan. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Joplin and Dothan?
Rents in Joplin are indexed at 54.0 while Dothan is at 46.9 (national average = 100). Joplin 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.