Overall
- Lewiston-Auburn
- 94.7
- Elmira
- 94.4
Diff -0.3 RPP
Lewiston-Auburn vs Elmira
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Elmira is 0.4% less expensive than Lewiston-Auburn.
0.4% less expensive
Elmira, NY is 0.4% less expensive than Lewiston-Auburn, ME on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 94.4 vs 94.7). A $100,000 salary in Lewiston-Auburn buys about the same as $99,643 in Elmira; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 94.7 (Lewiston-Auburn) vs 94.4 (Elmira)
- $100k in Lewiston-Auburn ≈ $99,643 purchasing power in Elmira
- Rents drives the gap (+7.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ME:NY 94.7→94.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE ME × NY
- 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.
Lewiston-Auburn
94.7
Cost Index
Elmira
94.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Lewiston-Auburn, ME and Elmira, NY 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: Elmira is 7.4 points higher. But rents and goods 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 Lewiston-Auburn corresponds to $99,643 in Elmira.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Lewiston-Auburn
- 97.2
- Elmira
- 99.7
Diff +2.5 RPP
Services
- Lewiston-Auburn
- 134.4
- Elmira
- 131.6
Diff -2.8 RPP
Rents
- Lewiston-Auburn
- 69.0
- Elmira
- 76.4
Diff +7.4 RPP
| Category | Lewiston-Auburn | Elmira | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 94.7 | 94.4 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 97.2 | 99.7 | +2.5 |
| Services | 134.4 | 131.6 | -2.8 |
| Rents | 69.0 | 76.4 | +7.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Lewiston-Auburn 94.7
Elmira 94.4
Goods
Lewiston-Auburn 97.2
Elmira 99.7
Services
Lewiston-Auburn 134.4
Elmira 131.6
Rents
Lewiston-Auburn 69.0
Elmira 76.4
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Lewiston-Auburn would need to be in Elmira for the same purchasing power:
| In Lewiston-Auburn | In Elmira | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,822 | $-178 |
| $75,000 | $74,732 | $-268 |
| $100,000 | $99,643 | $-357 |
| $150,000 | $149,465 | $-535 |
$ in Lewiston-Auburn = in Elmira
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (94.7 → 94.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Elmira more expensive than Lewiston-Auburn?
Elmira is 0.4% less expensive than Lewiston-Auburn. The overall cost index is 94.4 vs 94.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Elmira equals $100K in Lewiston-Auburn?
A $100,000 salary in Lewiston-Auburn has the same purchasing power as $99,643 in Elmira. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Lewiston-Auburn and Elmira?
Rents in Lewiston-Auburn are indexed at 69.0 while Elmira is at 76.4 (national average = 100). Elmira 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.