Overall
- Milwaukee-Waukesha
- 96.9
- Asheville
- 96.5
Diff -0.4 RPP
Milwaukee-Waukesha vs Asheville
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Asheville is 0.4% less expensive than Milwaukee-Waukesha.
0.4% less expensive
Asheville, NC is 0.4% less expensive than Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 96.5 vs 96.9). A $100,000 salary in Milwaukee-Waukesha buys about the same as $99,555 in Asheville; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 96.9 (Milwaukee-Waukesha) vs 96.5 (Asheville)
- $100k in Milwaukee-Waukesha ≈ $99,555 purchasing power in Asheville
- Rents drives the gap (-3.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WI:NC 96.9→96.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WI × NC
- 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.
Milwaukee-Waukesha
96.9
Cost Index
Asheville
96.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI and Asheville, NC are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Asheville is 3.7 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha corresponds to $99,555 in Asheville.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Milwaukee-Waukesha
- 93.8
- Asheville
- 96.6
Diff +2.8 RPP
Services
- Milwaukee-Waukesha
- 91.6
- Asheville
- 88.6
Diff -3.0 RPP
Rents
- Milwaukee-Waukesha
- 97.1
- Asheville
- 93.4
Diff -3.7 RPP
| Category | Milwaukee-Waukesha | Asheville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 96.9 | 96.5 | -0.4 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 96.6 | +2.8 |
| Services | 91.6 | 88.6 | -3.0 |
| Rents | 97.1 | 93.4 | -3.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Milwaukee-Waukesha 96.9
Asheville 96.5
Goods
Milwaukee-Waukesha 93.8
Asheville 96.6
Services
Milwaukee-Waukesha 91.6
Asheville 88.6
Rents
Milwaukee-Waukesha 97.1
Asheville 93.4
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Milwaukee-Waukesha would need to be in Asheville for the same purchasing power:
| In Milwaukee-Waukesha | In Asheville | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,778 | $-222 |
| $75,000 | $74,667 | $-333 |
| $100,000 | $99,555 | $-445 |
| $150,000 | $149,333 | $-667 |
$ in Milwaukee-Waukesha = in Asheville
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (96.9 → 96.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Asheville more expensive than Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Asheville is 0.4% less expensive than Milwaukee-Waukesha. The overall cost index is 96.5 vs 96.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Asheville equals $100K in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
A $100,000 salary in Milwaukee-Waukesha has the same purchasing power as $99,555 in Asheville. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Milwaukee-Waukesha and Asheville?
Rents in Milwaukee-Waukesha are indexed at 97.1 while Asheville is at 93.4 (national average = 100). Milwaukee-Waukesha 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.