Overall
- Kingsport-Bristol
- 86.4
- Grand Island
- 86.7
Diff +0.2 RPP
Kingsport-Bristol vs Grand Island
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Grand Island is 0.2% more expensive than Kingsport-Bristol.
0.2% more expensive
Grand Island, NE is 0.2% more expensive than Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 86.7 vs 86.4). A $100,000 salary in Kingsport-Bristol buys about the same as $100,243 in Grand Island; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 86.4 (Kingsport-Bristol) vs 86.7 (Grand Island)
- $100k in Kingsport-Bristol ≈ $100,243 purchasing power in Grand Island
- Rents drives the gap (+5.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TN:NE 86.4→86.7
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE TN × NE
- 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.
Kingsport-Bristol
86.4
Cost Index
Grand Island
86.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA and Grand Island, NE 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: Grand Island is 5.3 points higher. But goods and 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 Kingsport-Bristol corresponds to $100,243 in Grand Island.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Kingsport-Bristol
- 96.2
- Grand Island
- 94.1
Diff -2.1 RPP
Services
- Kingsport-Bristol
- 75.9
- Grand Island
- 74.2
Diff -1.7 RPP
Rents
- Kingsport-Bristol
- 56.5
- Grand Island
- 61.7
Diff +5.3 RPP
| Category | Kingsport-Bristol | Grand Island | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 86.4 | 86.7 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 94.1 | -2.1 |
| Services | 75.9 | 74.2 | -1.7 |
| Rents | 56.5 | 61.7 | +5.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Kingsport-Bristol 86.4
Grand Island 86.7
Goods
Kingsport-Bristol 96.2
Grand Island 94.1
Services
Kingsport-Bristol 75.9
Grand Island 74.2
Rents
Kingsport-Bristol 56.5
Grand Island 61.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Kingsport-Bristol would need to be in Grand Island for the same purchasing power:
| In Kingsport-Bristol | In Grand Island | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,121 | +$121 |
| $75,000 | $75,182 | +$182 |
| $100,000 | $100,243 | +$243 |
| $150,000 | $150,364 | +$364 |
$ in Kingsport-Bristol = in Grand Island
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (86.4 → 86.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Also Compare
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Grand Island more expensive than Kingsport-Bristol?
Grand Island is 0.2% more expensive than Kingsport-Bristol. The overall cost index is 86.7 vs 86.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Grand Island equals $100K in Kingsport-Bristol?
A $100,000 salary in Kingsport-Bristol has the same purchasing power as $100,243 in Grand Island. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Kingsport-Bristol and Grand Island?
Rents in Kingsport-Bristol are indexed at 56.5 while Grand Island is at 61.7 (national average = 100). Grand Island 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.