Overall
- Provo-Orem-Lehi
- 98.2
- St. George
- 97.3
Diff -0.9 RPP
Provo-Orem-Lehi vs St. George
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. St. George is 0.9% less expensive than Provo-Orem-Lehi.
0.9% less expensive
St. George, UT is 0.9% less expensive than Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 97.3 vs 98.2). A $100,000 salary in Provo-Orem-Lehi buys about the same as $99,073 in St. George; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.2 (Provo-Orem-Lehi) vs 97.3 (St. George)
- $100k in Provo-Orem-Lehi ≈ $99,073 purchasing power in St. George
- Rents drives the gap (-5.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair UT:UT 98.2→97.3
PHOTO-FINISH · SAME-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- SAME-STATE Same state · UT
- 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.
Provo-Orem-Lehi
98.2
Cost Index
St. George
97.3
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT and St. George, UT are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.9 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: St. George is 5.9 points lower. But 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi corresponds to $99,073 in St. George.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Provo-Orem-Lehi
- 96.4
- St. George
- 96.4
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
- Provo-Orem-Lehi
- 78.6
- St. George
- 77.7
Diff -0.9 RPP
Rents
- Provo-Orem-Lehi
- 104.1
- St. George
- 98.1
Diff -5.9 RPP
| Category | Provo-Orem-Lehi | St. George | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.2 | 97.3 | -0.9 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 96.4 | 0.0 |
| Services | 78.6 | 77.7 | -0.9 |
| Rents | 104.1 | 98.1 | -5.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Provo-Orem-Lehi 98.2
St. George 97.3
Goods
Provo-Orem-Lehi 96.4
St. George 96.4
Services
Provo-Orem-Lehi 78.6
St. George 77.7
Rents
Provo-Orem-Lehi 104.1
St. George 98.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Provo-Orem-Lehi would need to be in St. George for the same purchasing power:
| In Provo-Orem-Lehi | In St. George | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,536 | $-464 |
| $75,000 | $74,304 | $-696 |
| $100,000 | $99,073 | $-927 |
| $150,000 | $148,609 | $-1,391 |
$ in Provo-Orem-Lehi = in St. George
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.2 → 97.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is St. George more expensive than Provo-Orem-Lehi?
St. George is 0.9% less expensive than Provo-Orem-Lehi. The overall cost index is 97.3 vs 98.2 (national average = 100).
What salary in St. George equals $100K in Provo-Orem-Lehi?
A $100,000 salary in Provo-Orem-Lehi has the same purchasing power as $99,073 in St. George. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Provo-Orem-Lehi and St. George?
Rents in Provo-Orem-Lehi are indexed at 104.1 while St. George is at 98.1 (national average = 100). Provo-Orem-Lehi 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.