Overall
- Milwaukee-Waukesha
- 96.9
- Salem
- 103.6
Diff +6.7 RPP
Milwaukee-Waukesha vs Salem
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Salem is 6.9% more expensive than Milwaukee-Waukesha.
6.9% more expensive
Salem, OR is 6.9% more expensive than Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 103.6 vs 96.9). A $100,000 salary in Milwaukee-Waukesha buys about the same as $106,924 in Salem; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 96.9 (Milwaukee-Waukesha) vs 103.6 (Salem)
- $100k in Milwaukee-Waukesha ≈ $106,924 purchasing power in Salem
- Rents drives the gap (+13.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WI:OR 96.9→103.6
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BENCH-CROSS · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE WI × OR
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BENCH-CROSS Benchmark cross
- 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.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Milwaukee-Waukesha would need to be in Salem for the same purchasing power:
| In Milwaukee-Waukesha | In Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $53,462 | +$3,462 |
| $75,000 | $80,193 | +$5,193 |
| $100,000 | $106,924 | +$6,924 |
| $150,000 | $160,386 | +$10,386 |
$ in Milwaukee-Waukesha = in Salem
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (96.9 → 103.6), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Salem, OR is 6.9% more expensive than Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 6.7-point overall gap.
This route crosses the national benchmark: Salem is above 100 while Milwaukee-Waukesha is below it. That makes the move a change of price regime, not merely a rank swap.
Rents leads the difference, with Salem 13.2 points higher than Milwaukee-Waukesha. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
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 Milwaukee-Waukesha corresponds to $106,924 in Salem.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Milwaukee-Waukesha
- 93.8
- Salem
- 105.3
Diff +11.5 RPP
Services
- Milwaukee-Waukesha
- 91.6
- Salem
- 104.7
Diff +13.1 RPP
Rents
- Milwaukee-Waukesha
- 97.1
- Salem
- 110.3
Diff +13.2 RPP
| Category | Milwaukee-Waukesha | Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 96.9 | 103.6 | +6.7 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 105.3 | +11.5 |
| Services | 91.6 | 104.7 | +13.1 |
| Rents | 97.1 | 110.3 | +13.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Milwaukee-Waukesha 96.9
Salem 103.6
Goods
Milwaukee-Waukesha 93.8
Salem 105.3
Services
Milwaukee-Waukesha 91.6
Salem 104.7
Rents
Milwaukee-Waukesha 97.1
Salem 110.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
Milwaukee-Waukesha
96.9
Cost Index
Salem
103.6
Cost Index
How the Price Gap Changed
Milwaukee-Waukesha and Salem share 17 published annual releases from 2008 through 2024. Their overall gap widened, moving from 3.6 to 6.7 RPP points. Salem remained the higher-index metro in the latest release.
Rents changed the most within this pair: its gap moved 29.6 points between the first and latest shared releases (16.3 to 13.2 points). This describes a relative price-index history, not a forecast or a household budget.
| Release Year | Milwaukee-Waukesha RPP | Salem RPP | Relative Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 97.7 | 94.1 | 3.6 points Milwaukee-Waukesha higher |
| 2012 | 97.6 | 101.1 | 3.5 points Salem higher |
| 2016 | 99.1 | 97.1 | 2.0 points Milwaukee-Waukesha higher |
| 2020 | 95.7 | 100.9 | 5.2 points Salem higher |
| 2024 | 96.9 | 103.6 | 6.7 points Salem 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 Salem more expensive than Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Salem is 6.9% more expensive than Milwaukee-Waukesha. The overall cost index is 103.6 vs 96.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Salem equals $100K in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
A $100,000 salary in Milwaukee-Waukesha has the same purchasing power as $106,924 in Salem. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Milwaukee-Waukesha and Salem?
Rents in Milwaukee-Waukesha are indexed at 97.1 while Salem is at 110.3 (national average = 100). Salem 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.