Overall
- Manchester-Nashua
- 105.7
- Salem
- 103.6
Diff -2.0 RPP
Manchester-Nashua vs Salem
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Salem is 1.9% less expensive than Manchester-Nashua.
1.9% less expensive
Salem, OR is 1.9% less expensive than Manchester-Nashua, NH on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 103.6 vs 105.7). A $100,000 salary in Manchester-Nashua buys about the same as $98,100 in Salem; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 105.7 (Manchester-Nashua) vs 103.6 (Salem)
- $100k in Manchester-Nashua ≈ $98,100 purchasing power in Salem
- Services drives the gap (-28.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NH:OR 105.7→103.6
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE NH × OR
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 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.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Manchester-Nashua
- 97.7
- Salem
- 105.3
Diff +7.6 RPP
Services
- Manchester-Nashua
- 133.5
- Salem
- 104.7
Diff -28.8 RPP
Rents
- Manchester-Nashua
- 134.2
- Salem
- 110.3
Diff -23.9 RPP
| Category | Manchester-Nashua | Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 105.7 | 103.6 | -2.0 |
| Goods | 97.7 | 105.3 | +7.6 |
| Services | 133.5 | 104.7 | -28.8 |
| Rents | 134.2 | 110.3 | -23.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Manchester-Nashua 105.7
Salem 103.6
Goods
Manchester-Nashua 97.7
Salem 105.3
Services
Manchester-Nashua 133.5
Salem 104.7
Rents
Manchester-Nashua 134.2
Salem 110.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Services creates the largest separation: Salem is 28.8 points lower. But goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Salem, OR is 1.9% less expensive than Manchester-Nashua, NH, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 2.0-point overall gap.
Both metros exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
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 Manchester-Nashua to $98,100 in Salem, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Manchester-Nashua
105.7
Cost Index
Salem
103.6
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Manchester-Nashua would need to be in Salem for the same purchasing power:
| In Manchester-Nashua | In Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,050 | $-950 |
| $75,000 | $73,575 | $-1,425 |
| $100,000 | $98,100 | $-1,900 |
| $150,000 | $147,149 | $-2,851 |
$ in Manchester-Nashua = in Salem
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (105.7 → 103.6), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Salem more expensive than Manchester-Nashua?
Salem is 1.9% less expensive than Manchester-Nashua. The overall cost index is 103.6 vs 105.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Salem equals $100K in Manchester-Nashua?
A $100,000 salary in Manchester-Nashua has the same purchasing power as $98,100 in Salem. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Manchester-Nashua and Salem?
Rents in Manchester-Nashua are indexed at 134.2 while Salem is at 110.3 (national average = 100). Manchester-Nashua 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.