Overall
- Fargo
- 90.9
Diff -7.4 RPP
Prescott Valley-Prescott vs Fargo
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Fargo is 7.5% less expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott.
7.5% less expensive
Fargo, ND-MN is 7.5% less expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 90.9 vs 98.3). A $100,000 salary in Prescott Valley-Prescott buys about the same as $92,485 in Fargo; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.3 (Prescott Valley-Prescott) vs 90.9 (Fargo)
- $100k in Prescott Valley-Prescott ≈ $92,485 purchasing power in Fargo
- Rents drives the gap (-17.6 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AZ:ND 98.3→90.9
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE AZ × ND
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
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.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Prescott Valley-Prescott would need to be in Fargo for the same purchasing power:
| In Prescott Valley-Prescott | In Fargo | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $46,242 | $-3,758 |
| $75,000 | $69,364 | $-5,636 |
| $100,000 | $92,485 | $-7,515 |
| $150,000 | $138,727 | $-11,273 |
$ in Prescott Valley-Prescott = in Fargo
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.3 → 90.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
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.
Fargo, ND-MN is 7.5% less expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 7.4-point overall gap.
Rents leads the difference, with Fargo 17.6 points lower than Prescott Valley-Prescott. 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.
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 Prescott Valley-Prescott corresponds to $92,485 in Fargo.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Fargo
- 95.7
Diff -0.6 RPP
Services
- Fargo
- 77.3
Diff -14.1 RPP
Rents
- Fargo
- 81.1
Diff -17.6 RPP
| Category | Prescott Valley-Prescott | Fargo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.3 | 90.9 | -7.4 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 95.7 | -0.6 |
| Services | 91.5 | 77.3 | -14.1 |
| Rents | 98.8 | 81.1 | -17.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Prescott Valley-Prescott 98.3
Fargo 90.9
Goods
Prescott Valley-Prescott 96.2
Fargo 95.7
Services
Prescott Valley-Prescott 91.5
Fargo 77.3
Rents
Prescott Valley-Prescott 98.8
Fargo 81.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Prescott Valley-Prescott
98.3
Cost Index
Fargo
90.9
Cost Index
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fargo more expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott?
Fargo is 7.5% less expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott. The overall cost index is 90.9 vs 98.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Fargo equals $100K in Prescott Valley-Prescott?
A $100,000 salary in Prescott Valley-Prescott has the same purchasing power as $92,485 in Fargo. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Prescott Valley-Prescott and Fargo?
Rents in Prescott Valley-Prescott are indexed at 98.8 while Fargo is at 81.1 (national average = 100). Prescott Valley-Prescott 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.