Overall
- Missoula
- 96.4
- Winchester
- 96.5
Diff +0.0 RPP
Missoula vs Winchester
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Winchester is 0% more expensive than Missoula.
0% more expensive
Winchester, VA-WV is 0% more expensive than Missoula, MT on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 96.5 vs 96.4). A $100,000 salary in Missoula buys about the same as $100,005 in Winchester; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 96.4 (Missoula) vs 96.5 (Winchester)
- $100k in Missoula ≈ $100,005 purchasing power in Winchester
- Services drives the gap (+17.6 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair MT:VA 96.4→96.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE MT × VA
- 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.
Missoula
96.4
Cost Index
Winchester
96.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Missoula, MT and Winchester, VA-WV are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.0 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Winchester is 17.6 points higher. But rents 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Missoula to $100,005 in Winchester, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Missoula
- 96.0
- Winchester
- 96.7
Diff +0.7 RPP
Services
- Missoula
- 72.1
- Winchester
- 89.7
Diff +17.6 RPP
Rents
- Missoula
- 94.9
- Winchester
- 90.0
Diff -4.9 RPP
| Category | Missoula | Winchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 96.4 | 96.5 | +0.0 |
| Goods | 96.0 | 96.7 | +0.7 |
| Services | 72.1 | 89.7 | +17.6 |
| Rents | 94.9 | 90.0 | -4.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Missoula 96.4
Winchester 96.5
Goods
Missoula 96.0
Winchester 96.7
Services
Missoula 72.1
Winchester 89.7
Rents
Missoula 94.9
Winchester 90.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Missoula would need to be in Winchester for the same purchasing power:
| In Missoula | In Winchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,003 | +$3 |
| $75,000 | $75,004 | +$4 |
| $100,000 | $100,005 | +$5 |
| $150,000 | $150,008 | +$8 |
$ in Missoula = in Winchester
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (96.4 → 96.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Also Compare
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Winchester more expensive than Missoula?
Winchester is 0% more expensive than Missoula. The overall cost index is 96.5 vs 96.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Winchester equals $100K in Missoula?
A $100,000 salary in Missoula has the same purchasing power as $100,005 in Winchester. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Missoula and Winchester?
Rents in Missoula are indexed at 94.9 while Winchester is at 90.0 (national average = 100). Missoula 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.