Overall
Diff -0.5 RPP
New Haven vs Modesto
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Modesto is 0.4% less expensive than New Haven.
0.4% less expensive
Modesto, CA is 0.4% less expensive than New Haven, CT on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 104.1 vs 104.6). A $100,000 salary in New Haven buys about the same as $99,569 in Modesto; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 104.6 (New Haven) vs 104.1 (Modesto)
- $100k in New Haven ≈ $99,569 purchasing power in Modesto
- Rents drives the gap (-15.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CT:CA 104.6→104.1
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE CT × CA
- 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.
New Haven
104.6
Cost Index
Modesto
104.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
New Haven, CT and Modesto, CA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.5 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Modesto is 15.8 points lower. 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 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 New Haven corresponds to $99,569 in Modesto.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff +7.8 RPP
Services
Diff +7.4 RPP
Rents
Diff -15.8 RPP
| Category | New Haven | Modesto | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 104.6 | 104.1 | -0.5 |
| Goods | 97.3 | 105.2 | +7.8 |
| Services | 144.8 | 152.3 | +7.4 |
| Rents | 124.3 | 108.5 | -15.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
New Haven 104.6
Modesto 104.1
Goods
New Haven 97.3
Modesto 105.2
Services
New Haven 144.8
Modesto 152.3
Rents
New Haven 124.3
Modesto 108.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in New Haven would need to be in Modesto for the same purchasing power:
| In New Haven | In Modesto | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,784 | $-216 |
| $75,000 | $74,676 | $-324 |
| $100,000 | $99,569 | $-431 |
| $150,000 | $149,353 | $-647 |
$ in New Haven = in Modesto
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (104.6 → 104.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Modesto more expensive than New Haven?
Modesto is 0.4% less expensive than New Haven. The overall cost index is 104.1 vs 104.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Modesto equals $100K in New Haven?
A $100,000 salary in New Haven has the same purchasing power as $99,569 in Modesto. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between New Haven and Modesto?
Rents in New Haven are indexed at 124.3 while Modesto is at 108.5 (national average = 100). New Haven 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.