Overall
Diff -2.7 RPP
Lancaster vs Yakima
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Yakima is 2.8% less expensive than Lancaster.
2.8% less expensive
Yakima, WA is 2.8% less expensive than Lancaster, PA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 95.5 vs 98.3). A $100,000 salary in Lancaster buys about the same as $97,240 in Yakima; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.3 (Lancaster) vs 95.5 (Yakima)
- $100k in Lancaster ≈ $97,240 purchasing power in Yakima
- Rents drives the gap (-21.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair PA:WA 98.3→95.5
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE PA × WA
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- 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.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff +4.3 RPP
Services
Diff -15.4 RPP
Rents
Diff -21.2 RPP
| Category | Lancaster | Yakima | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.3 | 95.5 | -2.7 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 105.0 | +4.3 |
| Services | 107.3 | 91.9 | -15.4 |
| Rents | 93.8 | 72.6 | -21.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Lancaster 98.3
Yakima 95.5
Goods
Lancaster 100.7
Yakima 105.0
Services
Lancaster 107.3
Yakima 91.9
Rents
Lancaster 93.8
Yakima 72.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: Yakima is 21.2 points lower. But goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Yakima, WA is 2.8% less expensive than Lancaster, PA, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 2.7-point overall gap.
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.
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 $97,240 in Yakima.
Lancaster
98.3
Cost Index
Yakima
95.5
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Lancaster would need to be in Yakima for the same purchasing power:
| In Lancaster | In Yakima | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $48,620 | $-1,380 |
| $75,000 | $72,930 | $-2,070 |
| $100,000 | $97,240 | $-2,760 |
| $150,000 | $145,860 | $-4,140 |
$ in Lancaster = in Yakima
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.3 → 95.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yakima more expensive than Lancaster?
Yakima is 2.8% less expensive than Lancaster. The overall cost index is 95.5 vs 98.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Yakima equals $100K in Lancaster?
A $100,000 salary in Lancaster has the same purchasing power as $97,240 in Yakima. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Lancaster and Yakima?
Rents in Lancaster are indexed at 93.8 while Yakima is at 72.6 (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.