Overall
- Kingston
- 100.7
Diff -0.3 RPP
Kingston vs Norwich-New London-Willimantic
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Norwich-New London-Willimantic is 0.3% less expensive than Kingston.
0.3% less expensive
Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT is 0.3% less expensive than Kingston, NY on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 100.4 vs 100.7). A $100,000 salary in Kingston buys about the same as $99,738 in Norwich-New London-Willimantic; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 100.7 (Kingston) vs 100.4 (Norwich-New London-Willimantic)
- $100k in Kingston ≈ $99,738 purchasing power in Norwich-New London-Willimantic
- Rents drives the gap (-16.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NY:CT 100.7→100.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NY × CT
- 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
Norwich-New London-Willimantic
100.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Kingston, NY and Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Norwich-New London-Willimantic is 16.5 points lower. But 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 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 Kingston corresponds to $99,738 in Norwich-New London-Willimantic.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Kingston
- 99.7
Diff -2.4 RPP
Services
- Kingston
- 133.6
Diff +15.0 RPP
Rents
- Kingston
- 110.2
Diff -16.5 RPP
| Category | Kingston | Norwich-New London-Willimantic | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 100.7 | 100.4 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 99.7 | 97.3 | -2.4 |
| Services | 133.6 | 148.6 | +15.0 |
| Rents | 110.2 | 93.7 | -16.5 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Kingston 100.7
Norwich-New London-Willimantic 100.4
Goods
Kingston 99.7
Norwich-New London-Willimantic 97.3
Services
Kingston 133.6
Norwich-New London-Willimantic 148.6
Rents
Kingston 110.2
Norwich-New London-Willimantic 93.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Kingston would need to be in Norwich-New London-Willimantic for the same purchasing power:
| In Kingston | In Norwich-New London-Willimantic | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,869 | $-131 |
| $75,000 | $74,803 | $-197 |
| $100,000 | $99,738 | $-262 |
| $150,000 | $149,607 | $-393 |
$ in Kingston = in Norwich-New London-Willimantic
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (100.7 → 100.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Norwich-New London-Willimantic more expensive than Kingston?
Norwich-New London-Willimantic is 0.3% less expensive than Kingston. The overall cost index is 100.4 vs 100.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Norwich-New London-Willimantic equals $100K in Kingston?
A $100,000 salary in Kingston has the same purchasing power as $99,738 in Norwich-New London-Willimantic. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Kingston and Norwich-New London-Willimantic?
Rents in Kingston are indexed at 110.2 while Norwich-New London-Willimantic is at 93.7 (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.