Overall
- Lancaster
- 98.3
- Jacksonville
- 92.1
Diff -6.2 RPP
Lancaster vs Jacksonville
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Jacksonville is 6.3% less expensive than Lancaster.
6.3% less expensive
Jacksonville, NC is 6.3% less expensive than Lancaster, PA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.1 vs 98.3). A $100,000 salary in Lancaster buys about the same as $93,719 in Jacksonville; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.3 (Lancaster) vs 92.1 (Jacksonville)
- $100k in Lancaster ≈ $93,719 purchasing power in Jacksonville
- Rents drives the gap (-21.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair PA:NC 98.3→92.1
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE PA × NC
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
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.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Lancaster would need to be in Jacksonville for the same purchasing power:
| In Lancaster | In Jacksonville | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $46,859 | $-3,141 |
| $75,000 | $70,289 | $-4,711 |
| $100,000 | $93,719 | $-6,281 |
| $150,000 | $140,578 | $-9,422 |
$ in Lancaster = in Jacksonville
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.3 → 92.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
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.
Jacksonville, NC is 6.3% less expensive than Lancaster, PA, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 6.2-point overall gap.
Rents leads the difference, with Jacksonville 21.7 points lower than Lancaster. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
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 Lancaster corresponds to $93,719 in Jacksonville.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Lancaster
- 100.7
- Jacksonville
- 96.6
Diff -4.1 RPP
Services
- Lancaster
- 107.3
- Jacksonville
- 87.2
Diff -20.0 RPP
Rents
- Lancaster
- 93.8
- Jacksonville
- 72.1
Diff -21.7 RPP
| Category | Lancaster | Jacksonville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.3 | 92.1 | -6.2 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 96.6 | -4.1 |
| Services | 107.3 | 87.2 | -20.0 |
| Rents | 93.8 | 72.1 | -21.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Lancaster 98.3
Jacksonville 92.1
Goods
Lancaster 100.7
Jacksonville 96.6
Services
Lancaster 107.3
Jacksonville 87.2
Rents
Lancaster 93.8
Jacksonville 72.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Lancaster
98.3
Cost Index
Jacksonville
92.1
Cost Index
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jacksonville more expensive than Lancaster?
Jacksonville is 6.3% less expensive than Lancaster. The overall cost index is 92.1 vs 98.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Jacksonville equals $100K in Lancaster?
A $100,000 salary in Lancaster has the same purchasing power as $93,719 in Jacksonville. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Lancaster and Jacksonville?
Rents in Lancaster are indexed at 93.8 while Jacksonville is at 72.1 (national average = 100). Lancaster 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.