Overall
- Montgomery
- 89.7
- Canton-Massillon
- 89.4
Diff -0.3 RPP
Montgomery vs Canton-Massillon
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Canton-Massillon is 0.3% less expensive than Montgomery.
0.3% less expensive
Canton-Massillon, OH is 0.3% less expensive than Montgomery, AL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 89.4 vs 89.7). A $100,000 salary in Montgomery buys about the same as $99,692 in Canton-Massillon; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 89.7 (Montgomery) vs 89.4 (Canton-Massillon)
- $100k in Montgomery ≈ $99,692 purchasing power in Canton-Massillon
- Services drives the gap (+12.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AL:OH 89.7→89.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE AL × OH
- 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
Canton-Massillon
89.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Montgomery, AL and Canton-Massillon, OH are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Canton-Massillon is 12.0 points higher. But 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Montgomery to $99,692 in Canton-Massillon, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Montgomery
- 96.4
- Canton-Massillon
- 93.6
Diff -2.8 RPP
Services
- Montgomery
- 84.9
- Canton-Massillon
- 96.9
Diff +12.0 RPP
Rents
- Montgomery
- 64.3
- Canton-Massillon
- 58.1
Diff -6.2 RPP
| Category | Montgomery | Canton-Massillon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 89.7 | 89.4 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 93.6 | -2.8 |
| Services | 84.9 | 96.9 | +12.0 |
| Rents | 64.3 | 58.1 | -6.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Montgomery 89.7
Canton-Massillon 89.4
Goods
Montgomery 96.4
Canton-Massillon 93.6
Services
Montgomery 84.9
Canton-Massillon 96.9
Rents
Montgomery 64.3
Canton-Massillon 58.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Montgomery would need to be in Canton-Massillon for the same purchasing power:
| In Montgomery | In Canton-Massillon | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,846 | $-154 |
| $75,000 | $74,769 | $-231 |
| $100,000 | $99,692 | $-308 |
| $150,000 | $149,538 | $-462 |
$ in Montgomery = in Canton-Massillon
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (89.7 → 89.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Canton-Massillon more expensive than Montgomery?
Canton-Massillon is 0.3% less expensive than Montgomery. The overall cost index is 89.4 vs 89.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Canton-Massillon equals $100K in Montgomery?
A $100,000 salary in Montgomery has the same purchasing power as $99,692 in Canton-Massillon. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Montgomery and Canton-Massillon?
Rents in Montgomery are indexed at 64.3 while Canton-Massillon is at 58.1 (national average = 100). Montgomery 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.