Overall
- Paducah
- 86.1
- Grand Forks
- 86.7
Diff +0.6 RPP
Paducah vs Grand Forks
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Grand Forks is 0.7% more expensive than Paducah.
0.7% more expensive
Grand Forks, ND-MN is 0.7% more expensive than Paducah, KY-IL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 86.7 vs 86.1). A $100,000 salary in Paducah buys about the same as $100,673 in Grand Forks; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 86.1 (Paducah) vs 86.7 (Grand Forks)
- $100k in Paducah ≈ $100,673 purchasing power in Grand Forks
- Rents drives the gap (+10.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair KY:ND 86.1→86.7
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE KY × ND
- 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.
Paducah
86.1
Cost Index
Grand Forks
86.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Paducah, KY-IL and Grand Forks, ND-MN are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.6 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Grand Forks is 10.9 points higher. 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 Paducah corresponds to $100,673 in Grand Forks.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Paducah
- 96.0
- Grand Forks
- 95.6
Diff -0.4 RPP
Services
- Paducah
- 76.9
- Grand Forks
- 77.1
Diff +0.2 RPP
Rents
- Paducah
- 48.8
- Grand Forks
- 59.7
Diff +10.9 RPP
| Category | Paducah | Grand Forks | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 86.1 | 86.7 | +0.6 |
| Goods | 96.0 | 95.6 | -0.4 |
| Services | 76.9 | 77.1 | +0.2 |
| Rents | 48.8 | 59.7 | +10.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Paducah 86.1
Grand Forks 86.7
Goods
Paducah 96.0
Grand Forks 95.6
Services
Paducah 76.9
Grand Forks 77.1
Rents
Paducah 48.8
Grand Forks 59.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Paducah would need to be in Grand Forks for the same purchasing power:
| In Paducah | In Grand Forks | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,336 | +$336 |
| $75,000 | $75,504 | +$504 |
| $100,000 | $100,673 | +$673 |
| $150,000 | $151,009 | +$1,009 |
$ in Paducah = in Grand Forks
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (86.1 → 86.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Grand Forks more expensive than Paducah?
Grand Forks is 0.7% more expensive than Paducah. The overall cost index is 86.7 vs 86.1 (national average = 100).
What salary in Grand Forks equals $100K in Paducah?
A $100,000 salary in Paducah has the same purchasing power as $100,673 in Grand Forks. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Paducah and Grand Forks?
Rents in Paducah are indexed at 48.8 while Grand Forks is at 59.7 (national average = 100). Grand Forks 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.