Overall
- Monroe
- 93.5
- Morgantown
- 93.3
Diff -0.2 RPP
Monroe vs Morgantown
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Morgantown is 0.2% less expensive than Monroe.
0.2% less expensive
Morgantown, WV is 0.2% less expensive than Monroe, MI on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 93.3 vs 93.5). A $100,000 salary in Monroe buys about the same as $99,819 in Morgantown; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 93.5 (Monroe) vs 93.3 (Morgantown)
- $100k in Monroe ≈ $99,819 purchasing power in Morgantown
- Rents drives the gap (-5.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair MI:WV 93.5→93.3
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE MI × WV
- 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.
Monroe
93.5
Cost Index
Morgantown
93.3
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Monroe, MI and Morgantown, WV 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: Morgantown is 5.5 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 Monroe corresponds to $99,819 in Morgantown.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Monroe
- 93.7
- Morgantown
- 96.3
Diff +2.6 RPP
Services
- Monroe
- 93.7
- Morgantown
- 92.5
Diff -1.2 RPP
Rents
- Monroe
- 74.6
- Morgantown
- 69.1
Diff -5.5 RPP
| Category | Monroe | Morgantown | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 93.5 | 93.3 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 96.3 | +2.6 |
| Services | 93.7 | 92.5 | -1.2 |
| Rents | 74.6 | 69.1 | -5.5 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Monroe 93.5
Morgantown 93.3
Goods
Monroe 93.7
Morgantown 96.3
Services
Monroe 93.7
Morgantown 92.5
Rents
Monroe 74.6
Morgantown 69.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Monroe would need to be in Morgantown for the same purchasing power:
| In Monroe | In Morgantown | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,910 | $-90 |
| $75,000 | $74,864 | $-136 |
| $100,000 | $99,819 | $-181 |
| $150,000 | $149,729 | $-271 |
$ in Monroe = in Morgantown
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (93.5 → 93.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Morgantown more expensive than Monroe?
Morgantown is 0.2% less expensive than Monroe. The overall cost index is 93.3 vs 93.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in Morgantown equals $100K in Monroe?
A $100,000 salary in Monroe has the same purchasing power as $99,819 in Morgantown. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Monroe and Morgantown?
Rents in Monroe are indexed at 74.6 while Morgantown is at 69.1 (national average = 100). Monroe 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.