Overall
- Monroe
- 83.6
- Hot Springs
- 85.7
Diff +2.1 RPP
Monroe vs Hot Springs
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Hot Springs is 2.6% more expensive than Monroe.
2.6% more expensive
Hot Springs, AR is 2.6% more expensive than Monroe, LA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 85.7 vs 83.6). A $100,000 salary in Monroe buys about the same as $102,552 in Hot Springs; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 83.6 (Monroe) vs 85.7 (Hot Springs)
- $100k in Monroe ≈ $102,552 purchasing power in Hot Springs
- Rents drives the gap (+14.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair LA:AR 83.6→85.7
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE LA × AR
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- 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.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Monroe
- 93.7
- Hot Springs
- 93.6
Diff -0.1 RPP
Services
- Monroe
- 72.2
- Hot Springs
- 74.3
Diff +2.0 RPP
Rents
- Monroe
- 42.8
- Hot Springs
- 57.3
Diff +14.5 RPP
| Category | Monroe | Hot Springs | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 83.6 | 85.7 | +2.1 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 93.6 | -0.1 |
| Services | 72.2 | 74.3 | +2.0 |
| Rents | 42.8 | 57.3 | +14.5 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Monroe 83.6
Hot Springs 85.7
Goods
Monroe 93.7
Hot Springs 93.6
Services
Monroe 72.2
Hot Springs 74.3
Rents
Monroe 42.8
Hot Springs 57.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: Hot Springs is 14.5 points higher. But goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Hot Springs, AR is 2.6% more expensive than Monroe, LA, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 2.1-point overall gap.
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.
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 Monroe corresponds to $102,552 in Hot Springs.
Monroe
83.6
Cost Index
Hot Springs
85.7
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Monroe would need to be in Hot Springs for the same purchasing power:
| In Monroe | In Hot Springs | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $51,276 | +$1,276 |
| $75,000 | $76,914 | +$1,914 |
| $100,000 | $102,552 | +$2,552 |
| $150,000 | $153,827 | +$3,827 |
$ in Monroe = in Hot Springs
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (83.6 → 85.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hot Springs more expensive than Monroe?
Hot Springs is 2.6% more expensive than Monroe. The overall cost index is 85.7 vs 83.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Hot Springs equals $100K in Monroe?
A $100,000 salary in Monroe has the same purchasing power as $102,552 in Hot Springs. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Monroe and Hot Springs?
Rents in Monroe are indexed at 42.8 while Hot Springs is at 57.3 (national average = 100). Hot Springs 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.