Overall
- Montgomery
- 89.7
- Beaumont-Port Arthur
- 90.0
Diff +0.4 RPP
Montgomery vs Beaumont-Port Arthur
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Beaumont-Port Arthur is 0.4% more expensive than Montgomery.
0.4% more expensive
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX is 0.4% more expensive than Montgomery, AL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 90.0 vs 89.7). A $100,000 salary in Montgomery buys about the same as $100,406 in Beaumont-Port Arthur; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 89.7 (Montgomery) vs 90.0 (Beaumont-Port Arthur)
- $100k in Montgomery ≈ $100,406 purchasing power in Beaumont-Port Arthur
- Rents drives the gap (+6.6 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AL:TX 89.7→90.0
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE AL × TX
- 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.
Montgomery
89.7
Cost Index
Beaumont-Port Arthur
90.0
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Montgomery, AL and Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Beaumont-Port Arthur is 6.6 points higher. But 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 Montgomery corresponds to $100,406 in Beaumont-Port Arthur.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Montgomery
- 96.4
- Beaumont-Port Arthur
- 93.8
Diff -2.6 RPP
Services
- Montgomery
- 84.9
- Beaumont-Port Arthur
- 83.1
Diff -1.8 RPP
Rents
- Montgomery
- 64.3
- Beaumont-Port Arthur
- 70.9
Diff +6.6 RPP
| Category | Montgomery | Beaumont-Port Arthur | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 89.7 | 90.0 | +0.4 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 93.8 | -2.6 |
| Services | 84.9 | 83.1 | -1.8 |
| Rents | 64.3 | 70.9 | +6.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Montgomery 89.7
Beaumont-Port Arthur 90.0
Goods
Montgomery 96.4
Beaumont-Port Arthur 93.8
Services
Montgomery 84.9
Beaumont-Port Arthur 83.1
Rents
Montgomery 64.3
Beaumont-Port Arthur 70.9
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Montgomery would need to be in Beaumont-Port Arthur for the same purchasing power:
| In Montgomery | In Beaumont-Port Arthur | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,203 | +$203 |
| $75,000 | $75,304 | +$304 |
| $100,000 | $100,406 | +$406 |
| $150,000 | $150,609 | +$609 |
$ in Montgomery = in Beaumont-Port Arthur
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (89.7 → 90.0), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Beaumont-Port Arthur more expensive than Montgomery?
Beaumont-Port Arthur is 0.4% more expensive than Montgomery. The overall cost index is 90.0 vs 89.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Beaumont-Port Arthur equals $100K in Montgomery?
A $100,000 salary in Montgomery has the same purchasing power as $100,406 in Beaumont-Port Arthur. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Montgomery and Beaumont-Port Arthur?
Rents in Montgomery are indexed at 64.3 while Beaumont-Port Arthur is at 70.9 (national average = 100). Beaumont-Port Arthur 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.