Overall
- Raleigh-Cary
- 98.2
Diff -0.1 RPP
Prescott Valley-Prescott vs Raleigh-Cary
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Raleigh-Cary is 0.1% less expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott.
0.1% less expensive
Raleigh-Cary, NC is 0.1% less expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.2 vs 98.3). A $100,000 salary in Prescott Valley-Prescott buys about the same as $99,900 in Raleigh-Cary; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.3 (Prescott Valley-Prescott) vs 98.2 (Raleigh-Cary)
- $100k in Prescott Valley-Prescott ≈ $99,900 purchasing power in Raleigh-Cary
- Rents drives the gap (+4.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AZ:NC 98.3→98.2
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE AZ × NC
- 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.
Prescott Valley-Prescott
98.3
Cost Index
Raleigh-Cary
98.2
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ and Raleigh-Cary, NC are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Raleigh-Cary is 4.7 points higher. But rents 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 Prescott Valley-Prescott corresponds to $99,900 in Raleigh-Cary.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Raleigh-Cary
- 96.6
Diff +0.4 RPP
Services
- Raleigh-Cary
- 89.0
Diff -2.5 RPP
Rents
- Raleigh-Cary
- 103.5
Diff +4.7 RPP
| Category | Prescott Valley-Prescott | Raleigh-Cary | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.3 | 98.2 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 96.6 | +0.4 |
| Services | 91.5 | 89.0 | -2.5 |
| Rents | 98.8 | 103.5 | +4.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Prescott Valley-Prescott 98.3
Raleigh-Cary 98.2
Goods
Prescott Valley-Prescott 96.2
Raleigh-Cary 96.6
Services
Prescott Valley-Prescott 91.5
Raleigh-Cary 89.0
Rents
Prescott Valley-Prescott 98.8
Raleigh-Cary 103.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Prescott Valley-Prescott would need to be in Raleigh-Cary for the same purchasing power:
| In Prescott Valley-Prescott | In Raleigh-Cary | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,950 | $-50 |
| $75,000 | $74,925 | $-75 |
| $100,000 | $99,900 | $-100 |
| $150,000 | $149,850 | $-150 |
$ in Prescott Valley-Prescott = in Raleigh-Cary
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.3 → 98.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Raleigh-Cary more expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott?
Raleigh-Cary is 0.1% less expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott. The overall cost index is 98.2 vs 98.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Raleigh-Cary equals $100K in Prescott Valley-Prescott?
A $100,000 salary in Prescott Valley-Prescott has the same purchasing power as $99,900 in Raleigh-Cary. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Prescott Valley-Prescott and Raleigh-Cary?
Rents in Prescott Valley-Prescott are indexed at 98.8 while Raleigh-Cary is at 103.5 (national average = 100). Raleigh-Cary 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.