Overall
Diff -0.1 RPP
Lewiston vs Bismarck
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Bismarck is 0.1% less expensive than Lewiston.
0.1% less expensive
Bismarck, ND is 0.1% less expensive than Lewiston, ID-WA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 91.0 vs 91.2). A $100,000 salary in Lewiston buys about the same as $99,851 in Bismarck; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 91.2 (Lewiston) vs 91.0 (Bismarck)
- $100k in Lewiston ≈ $99,851 purchasing power in Bismarck
- Rents drives the gap (+12.1 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ID:ND 91.2→91.0
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE ID × ND
- 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
Bismarck
91.0
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Lewiston, ID-WA and Bismarck, ND are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Bismarck is 12.1 points higher. But rents and 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 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 corresponds to $99,851 in Bismarck.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff -0.5 RPP
Services
Diff +2.4 RPP
Rents
Diff +12.1 RPP
| Category | Lewiston | Bismarck | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 91.2 | 91.0 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 95.7 | -0.5 |
| Services | 72.6 | 75.0 | +2.4 |
| Rents | 71.9 | 84.0 | +12.1 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Lewiston 91.2
Bismarck 91.0
Goods
Lewiston 96.2
Bismarck 95.7
Services
Lewiston 72.6
Bismarck 75.0
Rents
Lewiston 71.9
Bismarck 84.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Lewiston would need to be in Bismarck for the same purchasing power:
| In Lewiston | In Bismarck | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,925 | $-75 |
| $75,000 | $74,888 | $-112 |
| $100,000 | $99,851 | $-149 |
| $150,000 | $149,776 | $-224 |
$ in Lewiston = in Bismarck
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (91.2 → 91.0), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bismarck more expensive than Lewiston?
Bismarck is 0.1% less expensive than Lewiston. The overall cost index is 91.0 vs 91.2 (national average = 100).
What salary in Bismarck equals $100K in Lewiston?
A $100,000 salary in Lewiston has the same purchasing power as $99,851 in Bismarck. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Lewiston and Bismarck?
Rents in Lewiston are indexed at 71.9 while Bismarck is at 84.0 (national average = 100). Bismarck 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.