Overall
- Lewiston
- 91.2
- Baton Rouge
- 90.8
Diff -0.4 RPP
Lewiston vs Baton Rouge
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Baton Rouge is 0.4% less expensive than Lewiston.
0.4% less expensive
Baton Rouge, LA is 0.4% less expensive than Lewiston, ID-WA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 90.8 vs 91.2). A $100,000 salary in Lewiston buys about the same as $99,583 in Baton Rouge; the largest component gap is goods.
- Overall RPP 91.2 (Lewiston) vs 90.8 (Baton Rouge)
- $100k in Lewiston ≈ $99,583 purchasing power in Baton Rouge
- Goods drives the gap (-2.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ID:LA 91.2→90.8
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE ID × LA
- 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
91.2
Cost Index
Baton Rouge
90.8
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Lewiston, ID-WA and Baton Rouge, LA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Goods creates the largest separation: Baton Rouge is 2.5 points lower. 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 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 goods-led difference, remember that many tradable prices vary less by address than housing or labor-priced services. Use $99,583 in Baton Rouge as the BEA equivalent of $100,000 in Lewiston, then replace the national basket with your own.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Lewiston
- 96.2
- Baton Rouge
- 93.7
Diff -2.5 RPP
Services
- Lewiston
- 72.6
- Baton Rouge
- 71.2
Diff -1.4 RPP
Rents
- Lewiston
- 71.9
- Baton Rouge
- 74.2
Diff +2.3 RPP
| Category | Lewiston | Baton Rouge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 91.2 | 90.8 | -0.4 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 93.7 | -2.5 |
| Services | 72.6 | 71.2 | -1.4 |
| Rents | 71.9 | 74.2 | +2.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Lewiston 91.2
Baton Rouge 90.8
Goods
Lewiston 96.2
Baton Rouge 93.7
Services
Lewiston 72.6
Baton Rouge 71.2
Rents
Lewiston 71.9
Baton Rouge 74.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Lewiston would need to be in Baton Rouge for the same purchasing power:
| In Lewiston | In Baton Rouge | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,792 | $-208 |
| $75,000 | $74,687 | $-313 |
| $100,000 | $99,583 | $-417 |
| $150,000 | $149,375 | $-625 |
$ in Lewiston = in Baton Rouge
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (91.2 → 90.8), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Baton Rouge more expensive than Lewiston?
Baton Rouge is 0.4% less expensive than Lewiston. The overall cost index is 90.8 vs 91.2 (national average = 100).
What salary in Baton Rouge equals $100K in Lewiston?
A $100,000 salary in Lewiston has the same purchasing power as $99,583 in Baton Rouge. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Lewiston and Baton Rouge?
Rents in Lewiston are indexed at 71.9 while Baton Rouge is at 74.2 (national average = 100). Baton Rouge 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.