Overall
- Topeka
- 88.8
Diff -9.4 RPP
Prescott Valley-Prescott vs Topeka
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Topeka is 9.6% less expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott.
9.6% less expensive
Topeka, KS is 9.6% less expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 88.8 vs 98.3). A $100,000 salary in Prescott Valley-Prescott buys about the same as $90,397 in Topeka; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.3 (Prescott Valley-Prescott) vs 88.8 (Topeka)
- $100k in Prescott Valley-Prescott ≈ $90,397 purchasing power in Topeka
- Rents drives the gap (-33.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AZ:KS 98.3→88.8
TIER-GAP · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-GAP Clear tier gap
- CROSS-STATE AZ × KS
- 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 Topeka for the same purchasing power:
| In Prescott Valley-Prescott | In Topeka | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $45,199 | $-4,801 |
| $75,000 | $67,798 | $-7,202 |
| $100,000 | $90,397 | $-9,603 |
| $150,000 | $135,596 | $-14,404 |
$ in Prescott Valley-Prescott = in Topeka
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.3 → 88.8), 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.
Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ and Topeka, KS sit in clearly different price tiers, separated by 9.4 RPP points. At this distance, treating the same nominal salary as equivalent would materially change purchasing power.
Rents leads the difference, with Topeka 33.8 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 $90,397 in Topeka.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Topeka
- 94.0
Diff -2.2 RPP
Services
- Topeka
- 88.9
Diff -2.5 RPP
Rents
- Topeka
- 65.0
Diff -33.8 RPP
| Category | Prescott Valley-Prescott | Topeka | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.3 | 88.8 | -9.4 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 94.0 | -2.2 |
| Services | 91.5 | 88.9 | -2.5 |
| Rents | 98.8 | 65.0 | -33.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Prescott Valley-Prescott 98.3
Topeka 88.8
Goods
Prescott Valley-Prescott 96.2
Topeka 94.0
Services
Prescott Valley-Prescott 91.5
Topeka 88.9
Rents
Prescott Valley-Prescott 98.8
Topeka 65.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Prescott Valley-Prescott
98.3
Cost Index
Topeka
88.8
Cost Index
How the Price Gap Changed
Prescott Valley-Prescott and Topeka share 17 published annual releases from 2008 through 2024. Their overall gap narrowed, moving from 11.5 to 9.4 RPP points. Prescott Valley-Prescott remained the higher-index metro in the latest release.
Rents changed the most within this pair: its gap moved 6.1 points between the first and latest shared releases (39.9 to 33.8 points). This describes a relative price-index history, not a forecast or a household budget.
| Release Year | Prescott Valley-Prescott RPP | Topeka RPP | Relative Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 103.0 | 91.5 | 11.5 points Prescott Valley-Prescott higher |
| 2012 | 96.5 | 91.6 | 5.0 points Prescott Valley-Prescott higher |
| 2016 | 98.6 | 89.9 | 8.8 points Prescott Valley-Prescott higher |
| 2020 | 93.2 | 90.1 | 3.1 points Prescott Valley-Prescott higher |
| 2024 | 98.3 | 88.8 | 9.4 points Prescott Valley-Prescott higher |
Annual BEA Regional Price Parity releases; a higher index means a higher price level relative to the national average of 100. Selected years shown from the full shared series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Topeka more expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott?
Topeka is 9.6% less expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott. The overall cost index is 88.8 vs 98.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Topeka equals $100K in Prescott Valley-Prescott?
A $100,000 salary in Prescott Valley-Prescott has the same purchasing power as $90,397 in Topeka. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Prescott Valley-Prescott and Topeka?
Rents in Prescott Valley-Prescott are indexed at 98.8 while Topeka is at 65.0 (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.