Overall
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 103.7
- Fairbanks-College
- 103.2
Diff -0.5 RPP
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater vs Fairbanks-College
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Fairbanks-College is 0.4% less expensive than Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater.
0.4% less expensive
Fairbanks-College, AK is 0.4% less expensive than Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 103.2 vs 103.7). A $100,000 salary in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater buys about the same as $99,554 in Fairbanks-College; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 103.7 (Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater) vs 103.2 (Fairbanks-College)
- $100k in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater ≈ $99,554 purchasing power in Fairbanks-College
- Services drives the gap (+28.1 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WA:AK 103.7→103.2
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WA × AK
- 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.
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
103.7
Cost Index
Fairbanks-College
103.2
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA and Fairbanks-College, AK 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.
Services creates the largest separation: Fairbanks-College is 28.1 points higher. But services and 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 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater to $99,554 in Fairbanks-College, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 105.0
- Fairbanks-College
- 107.3
Diff +2.3 RPP
Services
- Fairbanks-College
- 119.8
Diff +28.1 RPP
Rents
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 116.7
- Fairbanks-College
- 92.6
Diff -24.1 RPP
| Category | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | Fairbanks-College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 103.7 | 103.2 | -0.5 |
| Goods | 105.0 | 107.3 | +2.3 |
| Services | 91.7 | 119.8 | +28.1 |
| Rents | 116.7 | 92.6 | -24.1 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 103.7
Fairbanks-College 103.2
Goods
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 105.0
Fairbanks-College 107.3
Services
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 91.7
Fairbanks-College 119.8
Rents
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 116.7
Fairbanks-College 92.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater would need to be in Fairbanks-College for the same purchasing power:
| In Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | In Fairbanks-College | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,777 | $-223 |
| $75,000 | $74,666 | $-334 |
| $100,000 | $99,554 | $-446 |
| $150,000 | $149,332 | $-668 |
$ in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater = in Fairbanks-College
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (103.7 → 103.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fairbanks-College more expensive than Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater?
Fairbanks-College is 0.4% less expensive than Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater. The overall cost index is 103.2 vs 103.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Fairbanks-College equals $100K in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater?
A $100,000 salary in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater has the same purchasing power as $99,554 in Fairbanks-College. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater and Fairbanks-College?
Rents in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater are indexed at 116.7 while Fairbanks-College is at 92.6 (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.