Overall
- Macon-Bibb County
- 88.5
- Coeur d'Alene
- 98.3
Diff +9.8 RPP
Macon-Bibb County vs Coeur d'Alene
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Coeur d'Alene is 11% more expensive than Macon-Bibb County.
11% more expensive
Coeur d'Alene, ID is 11% more expensive than Macon-Bibb County, GA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.3 vs 88.5). A $100,000 salary in Macon-Bibb County buys about the same as $111,030 in Coeur d'Alene; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 88.5 (Macon-Bibb County) vs 98.3 (Coeur d'Alene)
- $100k in Macon-Bibb County ≈ $111,030 purchasing power in Coeur d'Alene
- Rents drives the gap (+46.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair GA:ID 88.5→98.3
TIER-GAP · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-GAP Clear tier gap
- CROSS-STATE GA × ID
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
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.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Macon-Bibb County
- 96.3
- Coeur d'Alene
- 96.2
Diff -0.1 RPP
Services
- Macon-Bibb County
- 89.5
- Coeur d'Alene
- 70.8
Diff -18.7 RPP
Rents
- Macon-Bibb County
- 58.9
- Coeur d'Alene
- 105.6
Diff +46.7 RPP
| Category | Macon-Bibb County | Coeur d'Alene | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 88.5 | 98.3 | +9.8 |
| Goods | 96.3 | 96.2 | -0.1 |
| Services | 89.5 | 70.8 | -18.7 |
| Rents | 58.9 | 105.6 | +46.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Macon-Bibb County 88.5
Coeur d'Alene 98.3
Goods
Macon-Bibb County 96.3
Coeur d'Alene 96.2
Services
Macon-Bibb County 89.5
Coeur d'Alene 70.8
Rents
Macon-Bibb County 58.9
Coeur d'Alene 105.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: Coeur d'Alene is 46.7 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.
Macon-Bibb County, GA and Coeur d'Alene, ID sit in clearly different price tiers, separated by 9.8 RPP points. At this distance, treating the same nominal salary as equivalent would materially change purchasing power.
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.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
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 Macon-Bibb County corresponds to $111,030 in Coeur d'Alene.
Macon-Bibb County
88.5
Cost Index
Coeur d'Alene
98.3
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Macon-Bibb County would need to be in Coeur d'Alene for the same purchasing power:
| In Macon-Bibb County | In Coeur d'Alene | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $55,515 | +$5,515 |
| $75,000 | $83,273 | +$8,273 |
| $100,000 | $111,030 | +$11,030 |
| $150,000 | $166,546 | +$16,546 |
$ in Macon-Bibb County = in Coeur d'Alene
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (88.5 → 98.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
How the Price Gap Changed
Macon-Bibb County and Coeur d'Alene share 17 published annual releases from 2008 through 2024. Their overall gap widened, moving from 6.9 to 9.8 RPP points. Coeur d'Alene remained the higher-index metro in the latest release.
Rents changed the most within this pair: its gap moved 25.0 points between the first and latest shared releases (21.6 to 46.7 points). This describes a relative price-index history, not a forecast or a household budget.
| Release Year | Macon-Bibb County RPP | Coeur d'Alene RPP | Relative Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 91.3 | 98.1 | 6.9 points Coeur d'Alene higher |
| 2012 | 90.1 | 94.9 | 4.7 points Coeur d'Alene higher |
| 2016 | 89.9 | 97.5 | 7.6 points Coeur d'Alene higher |
| 2020 | 85.3 | 93.0 | 7.8 points Coeur d'Alene higher |
| 2024 | 88.5 | 98.3 | 9.8 points Coeur d'Alene higher |
Annual BEA Regional Price Parity releases; a higher index means a higher price level relative to the national average of 100. Selected years shown from the full shared series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Coeur d'Alene more expensive than Macon-Bibb County?
Coeur d'Alene is 11% more expensive than Macon-Bibb County. The overall cost index is 98.3 vs 88.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in Coeur d'Alene equals $100K in Macon-Bibb County?
A $100,000 salary in Macon-Bibb County has the same purchasing power as $111,030 in Coeur d'Alene. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Macon-Bibb County and Coeur d'Alene?
Rents in Macon-Bibb County are indexed at 58.9 while Coeur d'Alene is at 105.6 (national average = 100). Coeur d'Alene 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.