Overall
- Kingston
- 100.7
Diff +0.3 RPP
Norwich-New London-Willimantic vs Kingston
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Kingston is 0.3% more expensive than Norwich-New London-Willimantic.
0.3% more expensive
Kingston, NY is 0.3% more expensive than Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 100.7 vs 100.4). A $100,000 salary in Norwich-New London-Willimantic buys about the same as $100,263 in Kingston; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 100.4 (Norwich-New London-Willimantic) vs 100.7 (Kingston)
- $100k in Norwich-New London-Willimantic ≈ $100,263 purchasing power in Kingston
- Rents drives the gap (+16.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CT:NY 100.4→100.7
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE CT × NY
- 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.
Norwich-New London-Willimantic
100.4
Cost Index
Kingston
100.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT and Kingston, NY 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.
Rents creates the largest separation: Kingston is 16.5 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 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic corresponds to $100,263 in Kingston.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Kingston
- 99.7
Diff +2.4 RPP
Services
- Kingston
- 133.6
Diff -15.0 RPP
Rents
- Kingston
- 110.2
Diff +16.5 RPP
| Category | Norwich-New London-Willimantic | Kingston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 100.4 | 100.7 | +0.3 |
| Goods | 97.3 | 99.7 | +2.4 |
| Services | 148.6 | 133.6 | -15.0 |
| Rents | 93.7 | 110.2 | +16.5 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Norwich-New London-Willimantic 100.4
Kingston 100.7
Goods
Norwich-New London-Willimantic 97.3
Kingston 99.7
Services
Norwich-New London-Willimantic 148.6
Kingston 133.6
Rents
Norwich-New London-Willimantic 93.7
Kingston 110.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Norwich-New London-Willimantic would need to be in Kingston for the same purchasing power:
| In Norwich-New London-Willimantic | In Kingston | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,131 | +$131 |
| $75,000 | $75,197 | +$197 |
| $100,000 | $100,263 | +$263 |
| $150,000 | $150,394 | +$394 |
$ in Norwich-New London-Willimantic = in Kingston
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (100.4 → 100.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kingston more expensive than Norwich-New London-Willimantic?
Kingston is 0.3% more expensive than Norwich-New London-Willimantic. The overall cost index is 100.7 vs 100.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Kingston equals $100K in Norwich-New London-Willimantic?
A $100,000 salary in Norwich-New London-Willimantic has the same purchasing power as $100,263 in Kingston. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Norwich-New London-Willimantic and Kingston?
Rents in Norwich-New London-Willimantic are indexed at 93.7 while Kingston is at 110.2 (national average = 100). Kingston 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.