Overall
Diff -0.1 RPP
Odessa vs Casper
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Casper is 0.1% less expensive than Odessa.
0.1% less expensive
Casper, WY is 0.1% less expensive than Odessa, TX on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 93.8 vs 93.9). A $100,000 salary in Odessa buys about the same as $99,929 in Casper; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 93.9 (Odessa) vs 93.8 (Casper)
- $100k in Odessa ≈ $99,929 purchasing power in Casper
- Rents drives the gap (-15.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TX:WY 93.9→93.8
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE TX × WY
- 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.
Odessa
93.9
Cost Index
Casper
93.8
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Odessa, TX and Casper, WY are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Casper is 15.5 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 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 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 Odessa corresponds to $99,929 in Casper.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff +1.6 RPP
Services
Diff -4.0 RPP
Rents
Diff -15.5 RPP
| Category | Odessa | Casper | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 93.9 | 93.8 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 95.4 | +1.6 |
| Services | 82.9 | 78.9 | -4.0 |
| Rents | 89.7 | 74.2 | -15.5 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Odessa 93.9
Casper 93.8
Goods
Odessa 93.8
Casper 95.4
Services
Odessa 82.9
Casper 78.9
Rents
Odessa 89.7
Casper 74.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Odessa would need to be in Casper for the same purchasing power:
| In Odessa | In Casper | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,964 | $-36 |
| $75,000 | $74,946 | $-54 |
| $100,000 | $99,929 | $-71 |
| $150,000 | $149,893 | $-107 |
$ in Odessa = in Casper
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (93.9 → 93.8), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Casper more expensive than Odessa?
Casper is 0.1% less expensive than Odessa. The overall cost index is 93.8 vs 93.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Casper equals $100K in Odessa?
A $100,000 salary in Odessa has the same purchasing power as $99,929 in Casper. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Odessa and Casper?
Rents in Odessa are indexed at 89.7 while Casper is at 74.2 (national average = 100). Odessa 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.