Overall
- Longview-Kelso
- 97.5
- Lancaster
- 98.3
Diff +0.7 RPP
Longview-Kelso vs Lancaster
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Lancaster is 0.7% more expensive than Longview-Kelso.
0.7% more expensive
Lancaster, PA is 0.7% more expensive than Longview-Kelso, WA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.3 vs 97.5). A $100,000 salary in Longview-Kelso buys about the same as $100,730 in Lancaster; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 97.5 (Longview-Kelso) vs 98.3 (Lancaster)
- $100k in Longview-Kelso ≈ $100,730 purchasing power in Lancaster
- Rents drives the gap (+11.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WA:PA 97.5→98.3
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WA × 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.
Longview-Kelso
97.5
Cost Index
Lancaster
98.3
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Longview-Kelso, WA and Lancaster, PA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.7 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Lancaster is 11.3 points higher. But 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 Longview-Kelso corresponds to $100,730 in Lancaster.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Longview-Kelso
- 105.0
- Lancaster
- 100.7
Diff -4.3 RPP
Services
- Longview-Kelso
- 98.5
- Lancaster
- 107.3
Diff +8.8 RPP
Rents
- Longview-Kelso
- 82.5
- Lancaster
- 93.8
Diff +11.3 RPP
| Category | Longview-Kelso | Lancaster | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 97.5 | 98.3 | +0.7 |
| Goods | 105.0 | 100.7 | -4.3 |
| Services | 98.5 | 107.3 | +8.8 |
| Rents | 82.5 | 93.8 | +11.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Longview-Kelso 97.5
Lancaster 98.3
Goods
Longview-Kelso 105.0
Lancaster 100.7
Services
Longview-Kelso 98.5
Lancaster 107.3
Rents
Longview-Kelso 82.5
Lancaster 93.8
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Longview-Kelso would need to be in Lancaster for the same purchasing power:
| In Longview-Kelso | In Lancaster | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,365 | +$365 |
| $75,000 | $75,547 | +$547 |
| $100,000 | $100,730 | +$730 |
| $150,000 | $151,095 | +$1,095 |
$ in Longview-Kelso = in Lancaster
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (97.5 → 98.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lancaster more expensive than Longview-Kelso?
Lancaster is 0.7% more expensive than Longview-Kelso. The overall cost index is 98.3 vs 97.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in Lancaster equals $100K in Longview-Kelso?
A $100,000 salary in Longview-Kelso has the same purchasing power as $100,730 in Lancaster. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Longview-Kelso and Lancaster?
Rents in Longview-Kelso are indexed at 82.5 while Lancaster is at 93.8 (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.