Overall
- Kenosha
- 101.1
- Mount Vernon-Anacortes
- 102.4
Diff +1.3 RPP
Kenosha vs Mount Vernon-Anacortes
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Mount Vernon-Anacortes is 1.3% more expensive than Kenosha.
1.3% more expensive
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA is 1.3% more expensive than Kenosha, WI on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 102.4 vs 101.1). A $100,000 salary in Kenosha buys about the same as $101,310 in Mount Vernon-Anacortes; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 101.1 (Kenosha) vs 102.4 (Mount Vernon-Anacortes)
- $100k in Kenosha ≈ $101,310 purchasing power in Mount Vernon-Anacortes
- Rents drives the gap (+12.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WI:WA 101.1→102.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WI × WA
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 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.
Kenosha
101.1
Cost Index
Mount Vernon-Anacortes
102.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Kenosha, WI and Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Mount Vernon-Anacortes is 12.4 points higher. 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 exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
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 Kenosha corresponds to $101,310 in Mount Vernon-Anacortes.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Kenosha
- 106.2
- Mount Vernon-Anacortes
- 105.0
Diff -1.2 RPP
Services
- Kenosha
- 85.9
Diff +10.1 RPP
Rents
- Kenosha
- 95.8
- Mount Vernon-Anacortes
- 108.2
Diff +12.4 RPP
| Category | Kenosha | Mount Vernon-Anacortes | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 101.1 | 102.4 | +1.3 |
| Goods | 106.2 | 105.0 | -1.2 |
| Services | 85.9 | 96.0 | +10.1 |
| Rents | 95.8 | 108.2 | +12.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Kenosha 101.1
Mount Vernon-Anacortes 102.4
Goods
Kenosha 106.2
Mount Vernon-Anacortes 105.0
Services
Kenosha 85.9
Mount Vernon-Anacortes 96.0
Rents
Kenosha 95.8
Mount Vernon-Anacortes 108.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Kenosha would need to be in Mount Vernon-Anacortes for the same purchasing power:
| In Kenosha | In Mount Vernon-Anacortes | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,655 | +$655 |
| $75,000 | $75,983 | +$983 |
| $100,000 | $101,310 | +$1,310 |
| $150,000 | $151,966 | +$1,966 |
$ in Kenosha = in Mount Vernon-Anacortes
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (101.1 → 102.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mount Vernon-Anacortes more expensive than Kenosha?
Mount Vernon-Anacortes is 1.3% more expensive than Kenosha. The overall cost index is 102.4 vs 101.1 (national average = 100).
What salary in Mount Vernon-Anacortes equals $100K in Kenosha?
A $100,000 salary in Kenosha has the same purchasing power as $101,310 in Mount Vernon-Anacortes. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Kenosha and Mount Vernon-Anacortes?
Rents in Kenosha are indexed at 95.8 while Mount Vernon-Anacortes is at 108.2 (national average = 100). Mount Vernon-Anacortes 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.