Overall
- Muncie
- 88.1
Diff -0.2 RPP
Pinehurst-Southern Pines vs Muncie
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Muncie is 0.2% less expensive than Pinehurst-Southern Pines.
0.2% less expensive
Muncie, IN is 0.2% less expensive than Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 88.1 vs 88.3). A $100,000 salary in Pinehurst-Southern Pines buys about the same as $99,787 in Muncie; the largest component gap is goods.
- Overall RPP 88.3 (Pinehurst-Southern Pines) vs 88.1 (Muncie)
- $100k in Pinehurst-Southern Pines ≈ $99,787 purchasing power in Muncie
- Goods drives the gap (-2.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NC:IN 88.3→88.1
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · GOODS-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NC × IN
- GOODS-LED Goods-led gap
- 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.
Pinehurst-Southern Pines
88.3
Cost Index
Muncie
88.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC and Muncie, IN are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Goods leads the difference, with Muncie 2.3 points lower than Pinehurst-Southern Pines. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
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 goods-led difference, remember that many tradable prices vary less by address than housing or labor-priced services. Use $99,787 in Muncie as the BEA equivalent of $100,000 in Pinehurst-Southern Pines, then replace the national basket with your own.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Muncie
- 94.3
Diff -2.3 RPP
Services
- Muncie
- 86.4
Diff -1.7 RPP
Rents
- Muncie
- 57.5
Diff -1.8 RPP
| Category | Pinehurst-Southern Pines | Muncie | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 88.3 | 88.1 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 96.6 | 94.3 | -2.3 |
| Services | 88.2 | 86.4 | -1.7 |
| Rents | 59.3 | 57.5 | -1.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Pinehurst-Southern Pines 88.3
Muncie 88.1
Goods
Pinehurst-Southern Pines 96.6
Muncie 94.3
Services
Pinehurst-Southern Pines 88.2
Muncie 86.4
Rents
Pinehurst-Southern Pines 59.3
Muncie 57.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Pinehurst-Southern Pines would need to be in Muncie for the same purchasing power:
| In Pinehurst-Southern Pines | In Muncie | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,894 | $-106 |
| $75,000 | $74,840 | $-160 |
| $100,000 | $99,787 | $-213 |
| $150,000 | $149,681 | $-319 |
$ in Pinehurst-Southern Pines = in Muncie
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (88.3 → 88.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Muncie more expensive than Pinehurst-Southern Pines?
Muncie is 0.2% less expensive than Pinehurst-Southern Pines. The overall cost index is 88.1 vs 88.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Muncie equals $100K in Pinehurst-Southern Pines?
A $100,000 salary in Pinehurst-Southern Pines has the same purchasing power as $99,787 in Muncie. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Pinehurst-Southern Pines and Muncie?
Rents in Pinehurst-Southern Pines are indexed at 59.3 while Muncie is at 57.5 (national average = 100). Pinehurst-Southern Pines 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.