Overall
- Muncie
- 88.1
Diff +0.2 RPP
Muncie vs Pinehurst-Southern Pines
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Pinehurst-Southern Pines is 0.2% more expensive than Muncie.
0.2% more expensive
Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC is 0.2% more expensive than Muncie, IN on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 88.3 vs 88.1). A $100,000 salary in Muncie buys about the same as $100,213 in Pinehurst-Southern Pines; the largest component gap is goods.
- Overall RPP 88.1 (Muncie) vs 88.3 (Pinehurst-Southern Pines)
- $100k in Muncie ≈ $100,213 purchasing power in Pinehurst-Southern Pines
- Goods drives the gap (+2.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IN:NC 88.1→88.3
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · GOODS-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE IN × NC
- GOODS-LED Goods-led gap
- 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.
Muncie
88.1
Cost Index
Pinehurst-Southern Pines
88.3
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Muncie, IN and Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC 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.
Goods leads the difference, with Pinehurst-Southern Pines 2.3 points higher than Muncie. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
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 goods-led difference, remember that many tradable prices vary less by address than housing or labor-priced services. Use $100,213 in Pinehurst-Southern Pines as the BEA equivalent of $100,000 in Muncie, then replace the national basket with your own.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Muncie
- 94.3
Diff +2.3 RPP
Services
- Muncie
- 86.4
Diff +1.7 RPP
Rents
- Muncie
- 57.5
Diff +1.8 RPP
| Category | Muncie | Pinehurst-Southern Pines | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 88.1 | 88.3 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 94.3 | 96.6 | +2.3 |
| Services | 86.4 | 88.2 | +1.7 |
| Rents | 57.5 | 59.3 | +1.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Muncie 88.1
Pinehurst-Southern Pines 88.3
Goods
Muncie 94.3
Pinehurst-Southern Pines 96.6
Services
Muncie 86.4
Pinehurst-Southern Pines 88.2
Rents
Muncie 57.5
Pinehurst-Southern Pines 59.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Muncie would need to be in Pinehurst-Southern Pines for the same purchasing power:
| In Muncie | In Pinehurst-Southern Pines | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,107 | +$107 |
| $75,000 | $75,160 | +$160 |
| $100,000 | $100,213 | +$213 |
| $150,000 | $150,320 | +$320 |
$ in Muncie = in Pinehurst-Southern Pines
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (88.1 → 88.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pinehurst-Southern Pines more expensive than Muncie?
Pinehurst-Southern Pines is 0.2% more expensive than Muncie. The overall cost index is 88.3 vs 88.1 (national average = 100).
What salary in Pinehurst-Southern Pines equals $100K in Muncie?
A $100,000 salary in Muncie has the same purchasing power as $100,213 in Pinehurst-Southern Pines. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Muncie and Pinehurst-Southern Pines?
Rents in Muncie are indexed at 57.5 while Pinehurst-Southern Pines is at 59.3 (national average = 100). Pinehurst-Southern Pines 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.