Overall
Diff +0.2 RPP
Minot vs Lafayette
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Lafayette is 0.2% more expensive than Minot.
0.2% more expensive
Lafayette, LA is 0.2% more expensive than Minot, ND on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 87.2 vs 87.0). A $100,000 salary in Minot buys about the same as $100,208 in Lafayette; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 87.0 (Minot) vs 87.2 (Lafayette)
- $100k in Minot ≈ $100,208 purchasing power in Lafayette
- Rents drives the gap (-4.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ND:LA 87.0→87.2
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE ND × LA
- 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.
Minot
87.0
Cost Index
Lafayette
87.2
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Minot, ND and Lafayette, LA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Lafayette is 4.4 points lower. But rents and goods and services 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 Minot corresponds to $100,208 in Lafayette.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff -2.0 RPP
Services
Diff -1.7 RPP
Rents
Diff -4.4 RPP
| Category | Minot | Lafayette | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 87.0 | 87.2 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 95.7 | 93.7 | -2.0 |
| Services | 72.9 | 71.2 | -1.7 |
| Rents | 63.2 | 58.8 | -4.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Minot 87.0
Lafayette 87.2
Goods
Minot 95.7
Lafayette 93.7
Services
Minot 72.9
Lafayette 71.2
Rents
Minot 63.2
Lafayette 58.8
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Minot would need to be in Lafayette for the same purchasing power:
| In Minot | In Lafayette | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,104 | +$104 |
| $75,000 | $75,156 | +$156 |
| $100,000 | $100,208 | +$208 |
| $150,000 | $150,312 | +$312 |
$ in Minot = in Lafayette
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (87.0 → 87.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lafayette more expensive than Minot?
Lafayette is 0.2% more expensive than Minot. The overall cost index is 87.2 vs 87.0 (national average = 100).
What salary in Lafayette equals $100K in Minot?
A $100,000 salary in Minot has the same purchasing power as $100,208 in Lafayette. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Minot and Lafayette?
Rents in Minot are indexed at 63.2 while Lafayette is at 58.8 (national average = 100). Minot 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.