Overall
- Portland-South Portland
- 101.9
- Fairbanks-College
- 103.2
Diff +1.3 RPP
Portland-South Portland vs Fairbanks-College
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Fairbanks-College is 1.3% more expensive than Portland-South Portland.
1.3% more expensive
Fairbanks-College, AK is 1.3% more expensive than Portland-South Portland, ME on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 103.2 vs 101.9). A $100,000 salary in Portland-South Portland buys about the same as $101,325 in Fairbanks-College; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 101.9 (Portland-South Portland) vs 103.2 (Fairbanks-College)
- $100k in Portland-South Portland ≈ $101,325 purchasing power in Fairbanks-College
- Services drives the gap (-14.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair ME:AK 101.9→103.2
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE ME × AK
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 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.
Portland-South Portland
101.9
Cost Index
Fairbanks-College
103.2
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Portland-South Portland, ME and Fairbanks-College, AK are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Fairbanks-College is 14.8 points lower. But services and rents 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 exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
For a service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Portland-South Portland to $101,325 in Fairbanks-College, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Fairbanks-College
- 107.3
Diff +10.2 RPP
Services
- Portland-South Portland
- 134.6
- Fairbanks-College
- 119.8
Diff -14.8 RPP
Rents
- Portland-South Portland
- 105.2
- Fairbanks-College
- 92.6
Diff -12.6 RPP
| Category | Portland-South Portland | Fairbanks-College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 101.9 | 103.2 | +1.3 |
| Goods | 97.2 | 107.3 | +10.2 |
| Services | 134.6 | 119.8 | -14.8 |
| Rents | 105.2 | 92.6 | -12.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Portland-South Portland 101.9
Fairbanks-College 103.2
Goods
Portland-South Portland 97.2
Fairbanks-College 107.3
Services
Portland-South Portland 134.6
Fairbanks-College 119.8
Rents
Portland-South Portland 105.2
Fairbanks-College 92.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Portland-South Portland would need to be in Fairbanks-College for the same purchasing power:
| In Portland-South Portland | In Fairbanks-College | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,663 | +$663 |
| $75,000 | $75,994 | +$994 |
| $100,000 | $101,325 | +$1,325 |
| $150,000 | $151,988 | +$1,988 |
$ in Portland-South Portland = in Fairbanks-College
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (101.9 → 103.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fairbanks-College more expensive than Portland-South Portland?
Fairbanks-College is 1.3% more expensive than Portland-South Portland. The overall cost index is 103.2 vs 101.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Fairbanks-College equals $100K in Portland-South Portland?
A $100,000 salary in Portland-South Portland has the same purchasing power as $101,325 in Fairbanks-College. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Portland-South Portland and Fairbanks-College?
Rents in Portland-South Portland are indexed at 105.2 while Fairbanks-College is at 92.6 (national average = 100). Portland-South Portland 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.