Overall
- Richmond
- 97.9
- Longview-Kelso
- 97.5
Diff -0.3 RPP
Richmond vs Longview-Kelso
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Longview-Kelso is 0.3% less expensive than Richmond.
0.3% less expensive
Longview-Kelso, WA is 0.3% less expensive than Richmond, VA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 97.5 vs 97.9). A $100,000 salary in Richmond buys about the same as $99,680 in Longview-Kelso; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 97.9 (Richmond) vs 97.5 (Longview-Kelso)
- $100k in Richmond ≈ $99,680 purchasing power in Longview-Kelso
- Rents drives the gap (-16.6 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair VA:WA 97.9→97.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE VA × WA
- 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.
Richmond
97.9
Cost Index
Longview-Kelso
97.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Richmond, VA and Longview-Kelso, WA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Longview-Kelso is 16.6 points lower. But services 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 Richmond corresponds to $99,680 in Longview-Kelso.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Richmond
- 96.8
- Longview-Kelso
- 105.0
Diff +8.3 RPP
Services
- Richmond
- 89.2
- Longview-Kelso
- 98.5
Diff +9.2 RPP
Rents
- Richmond
- 99.1
- Longview-Kelso
- 82.5
Diff -16.6 RPP
| Category | Richmond | Longview-Kelso | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 97.9 | 97.5 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 96.8 | 105.0 | +8.3 |
| Services | 89.2 | 98.5 | +9.2 |
| Rents | 99.1 | 82.5 | -16.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Richmond 97.9
Longview-Kelso 97.5
Goods
Richmond 96.8
Longview-Kelso 105.0
Services
Richmond 89.2
Longview-Kelso 98.5
Rents
Richmond 99.1
Longview-Kelso 82.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Richmond would need to be in Longview-Kelso for the same purchasing power:
| In Richmond | In Longview-Kelso | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,840 | $-160 |
| $75,000 | $74,760 | $-240 |
| $100,000 | $99,680 | $-320 |
| $150,000 | $149,520 | $-480 |
$ in Richmond = in Longview-Kelso
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (97.9 → 97.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Longview-Kelso more expensive than Richmond?
Longview-Kelso is 0.3% less expensive than Richmond. The overall cost index is 97.5 vs 97.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Longview-Kelso equals $100K in Richmond?
A $100,000 salary in Richmond has the same purchasing power as $99,680 in Longview-Kelso. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Richmond and Longview-Kelso?
Rents in Richmond are indexed at 99.1 while Longview-Kelso is at 82.5 (national average = 100). Richmond 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.