Overall
Diff -0.2 RPP
Lima vs Altoona
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Altoona is 0.2% less expensive than Lima.
0.2% less expensive
Altoona, PA is 0.2% less expensive than Lima, OH on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 89.5 vs 89.7). A $100,000 salary in Lima buys about the same as $99,819 in Altoona; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 89.7 (Lima) vs 89.5 (Altoona)
- $100k in Lima ≈ $99,819 purchasing power in Altoona
- Services drives the gap (+11.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair OH:PA 89.7→89.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE OH × PA
- 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.
Lima
89.7
Cost Index
Altoona
89.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Lima, OH and Altoona, PA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Altoona is 11.9 points higher. But services 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Lima to $99,819 in Altoona, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff +7.1 RPP
Services
Diff +11.9 RPP
Rents
Diff -2.3 RPP
| Category | Lima | Altoona | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 89.7 | 89.5 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 93.6 | 100.7 | +7.1 |
| Services | 95.8 | 107.7 | +11.9 |
| Rents | 57.3 | 55.0 | -2.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Lima 89.7
Altoona 89.5
Goods
Lima 93.6
Altoona 100.7
Services
Lima 95.8
Altoona 107.7
Rents
Lima 57.3
Altoona 55.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Lima would need to be in Altoona for the same purchasing power:
| In Lima | In Altoona | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,910 | $-90 |
| $75,000 | $74,865 | $-135 |
| $100,000 | $99,819 | $-181 |
| $150,000 | $149,729 | $-271 |
$ in Lima = in Altoona
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (89.7 → 89.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Altoona more expensive than Lima?
Altoona is 0.2% less expensive than Lima. The overall cost index is 89.5 vs 89.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Altoona equals $100K in Lima?
A $100,000 salary in Lima has the same purchasing power as $99,819 in Altoona. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Lima and Altoona?
Rents in Lima are indexed at 57.3 while Altoona is at 55.0 (national average = 100). Lima 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.