Overall
- Parkersburg-Vienna
- 87.1
- Decatur
- 87.2
Diff +0.1 RPP
Parkersburg-Vienna vs Decatur
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Decatur is 0.2% more expensive than Parkersburg-Vienna.
0.2% more expensive
Decatur, AL is 0.2% more expensive than Parkersburg-Vienna, WV on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 87.2 vs 87.1). A $100,000 salary in Parkersburg-Vienna buys about the same as $100,168 in Decatur; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 87.1 (Parkersburg-Vienna) vs 87.2 (Decatur)
- $100k in Parkersburg-Vienna ≈ $100,168 purchasing power in Decatur
- Rents drives the gap (+12.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WV:AL 87.1→87.2
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WV × AL
- 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.
Parkersburg-Vienna
87.1
Cost Index
Decatur
87.2
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV and Decatur, AL 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: Decatur is 12.2 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 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 Parkersburg-Vienna corresponds to $100,168 in Decatur.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Parkersburg-Vienna
- 96.3
- Decatur
- 96.4
Diff +0.1 RPP
Services
- Parkersburg-Vienna
- 92.9
- Decatur
- 84.7
Diff -8.2 RPP
Rents
- Parkersburg-Vienna
- 45.9
- Decatur
- 58.1
Diff +12.2 RPP
| Category | Parkersburg-Vienna | Decatur | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 87.1 | 87.2 | +0.1 |
| Goods | 96.3 | 96.4 | +0.1 |
| Services | 92.9 | 84.7 | -8.2 |
| Rents | 45.9 | 58.1 | +12.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Parkersburg-Vienna 87.1
Decatur 87.2
Goods
Parkersburg-Vienna 96.3
Decatur 96.4
Services
Parkersburg-Vienna 92.9
Decatur 84.7
Rents
Parkersburg-Vienna 45.9
Decatur 58.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Parkersburg-Vienna would need to be in Decatur for the same purchasing power:
| In Parkersburg-Vienna | In Decatur | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,084 | +$84 |
| $75,000 | $75,126 | +$126 |
| $100,000 | $100,168 | +$168 |
| $150,000 | $150,252 | +$252 |
$ in Parkersburg-Vienna = in Decatur
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (87.1 → 87.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Decatur more expensive than Parkersburg-Vienna?
Decatur is 0.2% more expensive than Parkersburg-Vienna. The overall cost index is 87.2 vs 87.1 (national average = 100).
What salary in Decatur equals $100K in Parkersburg-Vienna?
A $100,000 salary in Parkersburg-Vienna has the same purchasing power as $100,168 in Decatur. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Parkersburg-Vienna and Decatur?
Rents in Parkersburg-Vienna are indexed at 45.9 while Decatur is at 58.1 (national average = 100). Decatur 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.