Overall
- Parkersburg-Vienna
- 87.1
- Tuscaloosa
- 87.7
Diff +0.7 RPP
Parkersburg-Vienna vs Tuscaloosa
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Tuscaloosa is 0.8% more expensive than Parkersburg-Vienna.
0.8% more expensive
Tuscaloosa, AL is 0.8% more expensive than Parkersburg-Vienna, WV on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 87.7 vs 87.1). A $100,000 salary in Parkersburg-Vienna buys about the same as $100,753 in Tuscaloosa; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 87.1 (Parkersburg-Vienna) vs 87.7 (Tuscaloosa)
- $100k in Parkersburg-Vienna ≈ $100,753 purchasing power in Tuscaloosa
- Rents drives the gap (+12.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WV:AL 87.1→87.7
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
Tuscaloosa
87.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV and Tuscaloosa, AL are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.7 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Tuscaloosa is 12.4 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 $100,753 in Tuscaloosa.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Parkersburg-Vienna
- 96.3
- Tuscaloosa
- 96.4
Diff +0.1 RPP
Services
- Parkersburg-Vienna
- 92.9
- Tuscaloosa
- 84.4
Diff -8.5 RPP
Rents
- Parkersburg-Vienna
- 45.9
- Tuscaloosa
- 58.2
Diff +12.4 RPP
| Category | Parkersburg-Vienna | Tuscaloosa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 87.1 | 87.7 | +0.7 |
| Goods | 96.3 | 96.4 | +0.1 |
| Services | 92.9 | 84.4 | -8.5 |
| Rents | 45.9 | 58.2 | +12.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Parkersburg-Vienna 87.1
Tuscaloosa 87.7
Goods
Parkersburg-Vienna 96.3
Tuscaloosa 96.4
Services
Parkersburg-Vienna 92.9
Tuscaloosa 84.4
Rents
Parkersburg-Vienna 45.9
Tuscaloosa 58.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Parkersburg-Vienna would need to be in Tuscaloosa for the same purchasing power:
| In Parkersburg-Vienna | In Tuscaloosa | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,377 | +$377 |
| $75,000 | $75,565 | +$565 |
| $100,000 | $100,753 | +$753 |
| $150,000 | $151,130 | +$1,130 |
$ in Parkersburg-Vienna = in Tuscaloosa
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (87.1 → 87.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tuscaloosa more expensive than Parkersburg-Vienna?
Tuscaloosa is 0.8% more expensive than Parkersburg-Vienna. The overall cost index is 87.7 vs 87.1 (national average = 100).
What salary in Tuscaloosa equals $100K in Parkersburg-Vienna?
A $100,000 salary in Parkersburg-Vienna has the same purchasing power as $100,753 in Tuscaloosa. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Parkersburg-Vienna and Tuscaloosa?
Rents in Parkersburg-Vienna are indexed at 45.9 while Tuscaloosa is at 58.2 (national average = 100). Tuscaloosa 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.