Overall
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 103.7
- Alexandria
- 85.7
Diff -18.0 RPP
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater vs Alexandria
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Alexandria is 17.3% less expensive than Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater.
17.3% less expensive
Alexandria, LA is 17.3% less expensive than Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 85.7 vs 103.7). A $100,000 salary in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater buys about the same as $82,653 in Alexandria; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 103.7 (Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater) vs 85.7 (Alexandria)
- $100k in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater ≈ $82,653 purchasing power in Alexandria
- Rents drives the gap (-63.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WA:LA 103.7→85.7
TIER-GAP · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BENCH-CROSS · PP-STEEP
- TIER-GAP Clear tier gap
- CROSS-STATE WA × LA
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BENCH-CROSS Benchmark cross
- PP-STEEP Steep PP convert
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.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater would need to be in Alexandria for the same purchasing power:
| In Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | In Alexandria | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $41,326 | $-8,674 |
| $75,000 | $61,989 | $-13,011 |
| $100,000 | $82,653 | $-17,347 |
| $150,000 | $123,979 | $-26,021 |
$ in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater = in Alexandria
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (103.7 → 85.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA and Alexandria, LA sit in clearly different price tiers, separated by 18.0 RPP points. At this distance, treating the same nominal salary as equivalent would materially change purchasing power.
This route crosses the national benchmark: Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater is above 100 while Alexandria is below it. That makes the move a change of price regime, not merely a rank swap.
Rents leads the difference, with Alexandria 63.0 points lower than Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater. 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.
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 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater corresponds to $82,653 in Alexandria.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 105.0
- Alexandria
- 93.7
Diff -11.3 RPP
Services
- Alexandria
- 71.1
Diff -20.6 RPP
Rents
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 116.7
- Alexandria
- 53.7
Diff -63.0 RPP
| Category | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | Alexandria | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 103.7 | 85.7 | -18.0 |
| Goods | 105.0 | 93.7 | -11.3 |
| Services | 91.7 | 71.1 | -20.6 |
| Rents | 116.7 | 53.7 | -63.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 103.7
Alexandria 85.7
Goods
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 105.0
Alexandria 93.7
Services
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 91.7
Alexandria 71.1
Rents
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 116.7
Alexandria 53.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
103.7
Cost Index
Alexandria
85.7
Cost Index
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Alexandria more expensive than Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater?
Alexandria is 17.3% less expensive than Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater. The overall cost index is 85.7 vs 103.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Alexandria equals $100K in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater?
A $100,000 salary in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater has the same purchasing power as $82,653 in Alexandria. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater and Alexandria?
Rents in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater are indexed at 116.7 while Alexandria is at 53.7 (national average = 100). Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 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.