Overall
- Mount Vernon-Anacortes
- 102.4
- Kenosha
- 101.1
Diff -1.3 RPP
Mount Vernon-Anacortes vs Kenosha
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Kenosha is 1.3% less expensive than Mount Vernon-Anacortes.
1.3% less expensive
Kenosha, WI is 1.3% less expensive than Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 101.1 vs 102.4). A $100,000 salary in Mount Vernon-Anacortes buys about the same as $98,707 in Kenosha; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 102.4 (Mount Vernon-Anacortes) vs 101.1 (Kenosha)
- $100k in Mount Vernon-Anacortes ≈ $98,707 purchasing power in Kenosha
- Rents drives the gap (-12.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WA:WI 102.4→101.1
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WA × WI
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 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.
Mount Vernon-Anacortes
102.4
Cost Index
Kenosha
101.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA and Kenosha, WI are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Kenosha is 12.4 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 exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
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 Mount Vernon-Anacortes corresponds to $98,707 in Kenosha.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Mount Vernon-Anacortes
- 105.0
- Kenosha
- 106.2
Diff +1.2 RPP
Services
- Kenosha
- 85.9
Diff -10.1 RPP
Rents
- Mount Vernon-Anacortes
- 108.2
- Kenosha
- 95.8
Diff -12.4 RPP
| Category | Mount Vernon-Anacortes | Kenosha | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 102.4 | 101.1 | -1.3 |
| Goods | 105.0 | 106.2 | +1.2 |
| Services | 96.0 | 85.9 | -10.1 |
| Rents | 108.2 | 95.8 | -12.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Mount Vernon-Anacortes 102.4
Kenosha 101.1
Goods
Mount Vernon-Anacortes 105.0
Kenosha 106.2
Services
Mount Vernon-Anacortes 96.0
Kenosha 85.9
Rents
Mount Vernon-Anacortes 108.2
Kenosha 95.8
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Mount Vernon-Anacortes would need to be in Kenosha for the same purchasing power:
| In Mount Vernon-Anacortes | In Kenosha | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,353 | $-647 |
| $75,000 | $74,030 | $-970 |
| $100,000 | $98,707 | $-1,293 |
| $150,000 | $148,060 | $-1,940 |
$ in Mount Vernon-Anacortes = in Kenosha
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (102.4 → 101.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kenosha more expensive than Mount Vernon-Anacortes?
Kenosha is 1.3% less expensive than Mount Vernon-Anacortes. The overall cost index is 101.1 vs 102.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Kenosha equals $100K in Mount Vernon-Anacortes?
A $100,000 salary in Mount Vernon-Anacortes has the same purchasing power as $98,707 in Kenosha. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Mount Vernon-Anacortes and Kenosha?
Rents in Mount Vernon-Anacortes are indexed at 108.2 while Kenosha is at 95.8 (national average = 100). Mount Vernon-Anacortes 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.