Overall
- Kingston
- 100.7
- Bakersfield-Delano
- 100.9
Diff +0.2 RPP
Kingston vs Bakersfield-Delano
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Bakersfield-Delano is 0.2% more expensive than Kingston.
0.2% more expensive
Bakersfield-Delano, CA is 0.2% more expensive than Kingston, NY on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 100.9 vs 100.7). A $100,000 salary in Kingston buys about the same as $100,176 in Bakersfield-Delano; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 100.7 (Kingston) vs 100.9 (Bakersfield-Delano)
- $100k in Kingston ≈ $100,176 purchasing power in Bakersfield-Delano
- Services drives the gap (+24.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NY:CA 100.7→100.9
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NY × CA
- 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.
Kingston
100.7
Cost Index
Bakersfield-Delano
100.9
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Kingston, NY and Bakersfield-Delano, CA 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.
Services creates the largest separation: Bakersfield-Delano is 24.7 points higher. But rents 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Kingston to $100,176 in Bakersfield-Delano, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Kingston
- 99.7
- Bakersfield-Delano
- 105.2
Diff +5.5 RPP
Services
- Kingston
- 133.6
- Bakersfield-Delano
- 158.3
Diff +24.7 RPP
Rents
- Kingston
- 110.2
- Bakersfield-Delano
- 90.3
Diff -19.9 RPP
| Category | Kingston | Bakersfield-Delano | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 100.7 | 100.9 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 99.7 | 105.2 | +5.5 |
| Services | 133.6 | 158.3 | +24.7 |
| Rents | 110.2 | 90.3 | -19.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Kingston 100.7
Bakersfield-Delano 100.9
Goods
Kingston 99.7
Bakersfield-Delano 105.2
Services
Kingston 133.6
Bakersfield-Delano 158.3
Rents
Kingston 110.2
Bakersfield-Delano 90.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Kingston would need to be in Bakersfield-Delano for the same purchasing power:
| In Kingston | In Bakersfield-Delano | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,088 | +$88 |
| $75,000 | $75,132 | +$132 |
| $100,000 | $100,176 | +$176 |
| $150,000 | $150,264 | +$264 |
$ in Kingston = in Bakersfield-Delano
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (100.7 → 100.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bakersfield-Delano more expensive than Kingston?
Bakersfield-Delano is 0.2% more expensive than Kingston. The overall cost index is 100.9 vs 100.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Bakersfield-Delano equals $100K in Kingston?
A $100,000 salary in Kingston has the same purchasing power as $100,176 in Bakersfield-Delano. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Kingston and Bakersfield-Delano?
Rents in Kingston are indexed at 110.2 while Bakersfield-Delano is at 90.3 (national average = 100). Kingston 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.