Overall
- Parkersburg-Vienna
- 87.1
- St. Cloud
- 87.6
Diff +0.6 RPP
Parkersburg-Vienna vs St. Cloud
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. St. Cloud is 0.7% more expensive than Parkersburg-Vienna.
0.7% more expensive
St. Cloud, MN is 0.7% more expensive than Parkersburg-Vienna, WV on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 87.6 vs 87.1). A $100,000 salary in Parkersburg-Vienna buys about the same as $100,650 in St. Cloud; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 87.1 (Parkersburg-Vienna) vs 87.6 (St. Cloud)
- $100k in Parkersburg-Vienna ≈ $100,650 purchasing power in St. Cloud
- Rents drives the gap (+19.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WV:MN 87.1→87.6
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WV × MN
- 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
St. Cloud
87.6
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV and St. Cloud, 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: St. Cloud is 19.2 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 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 $100,650 in St. Cloud.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Parkersburg-Vienna
- 96.3
- St. Cloud
- 95.4
Diff -0.8 RPP
Services
- Parkersburg-Vienna
- 92.9
- St. Cloud
- 88.7
Diff -4.2 RPP
Rents
- Parkersburg-Vienna
- 45.9
- St. Cloud
- 65.1
Diff +19.2 RPP
| Category | Parkersburg-Vienna | St. Cloud | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 87.1 | 87.6 | +0.6 |
| Goods | 96.3 | 95.4 | -0.8 |
| Services | 92.9 | 88.7 | -4.2 |
| Rents | 45.9 | 65.1 | +19.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Parkersburg-Vienna 87.1
St. Cloud 87.6
Goods
Parkersburg-Vienna 96.3
St. Cloud 95.4
Services
Parkersburg-Vienna 92.9
St. Cloud 88.7
Rents
Parkersburg-Vienna 45.9
St. Cloud 65.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Parkersburg-Vienna would need to be in St. Cloud for the same purchasing power:
| In Parkersburg-Vienna | In St. Cloud | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,325 | +$325 |
| $75,000 | $75,488 | +$488 |
| $100,000 | $100,650 | +$650 |
| $150,000 | $150,975 | +$975 |
$ in Parkersburg-Vienna = in St. Cloud
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (87.1 → 87.6), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is St. Cloud more expensive than Parkersburg-Vienna?
St. Cloud is 0.7% more expensive than Parkersburg-Vienna. The overall cost index is 87.6 vs 87.1 (national average = 100).
What salary in St. Cloud equals $100K in Parkersburg-Vienna?
A $100,000 salary in Parkersburg-Vienna has the same purchasing power as $100,650 in St. Cloud. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Parkersburg-Vienna and St. Cloud?
Rents in Parkersburg-Vienna are indexed at 45.9 while St. Cloud is at 65.1 (national average = 100). St. Cloud 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.