Overall
Diff -0.5 RPP
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Kokomo is 0.6% less expensive than Manhattan.
Kokomo, IN is 0.6% less expensive than Manhattan, KS on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 89.6 vs 90.2). A $100,000 salary in Manhattan buys about the same as $99,430 in Kokomo; the largest component gap is rents.
RPP parity plate
Pair KS:IN 90.2→89.6
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-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.
Manhattan, KS and Kokomo, IN are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.5 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Kokomo is 12.7 points lower. 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 Manhattan corresponds to $99,430 in Kokomo.
Diff -0.5 RPP
Diff +0.3 RPP
Diff -2.1 RPP
Diff -12.7 RPP
| Category | Manhattan | Kokomo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 90.2 | 89.6 | -0.5 |
| Goods | 94.0 | 94.3 | +0.3 |
| Services | 88.4 | 86.3 | -2.1 |
| Rents | 72.0 | 59.3 | -12.7 |
Vertical line = national average (100)
What a salary in Manhattan would need to be in Kokomo for the same purchasing power:
| In Manhattan | In Kokomo | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,715 | $-285 |
| $75,000 | $74,572 | $-428 |
| $100,000 | $99,430 | $-570 |
| $150,000 | $149,145 | $-855 |
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (90.2 → 89.6), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Kokomo is 0.6% less expensive than Manhattan. The overall cost index is 89.6 vs 90.2 (national average = 100).
A $100,000 salary in Manhattan has the same purchasing power as $99,430 in Kokomo. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
Rents in Manhattan are indexed at 72.0 while Kokomo is at 59.3 (national average = 100). Manhattan has higher rents.
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.