Overall
- Harrisonburg
- 94.9
Diff +0.2 RPP
San Antonio-New Braunfels vs Harrisonburg
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Harrisonburg is 0.2% more expensive than San Antonio-New Braunfels.
0.2% more expensive
Harrisonburg, VA is 0.2% more expensive than San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 94.9 vs 94.7). A $100,000 salary in San Antonio-New Braunfels buys about the same as $100,186 in Harrisonburg; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 94.7 (San Antonio-New Braunfels) vs 94.9 (Harrisonburg)
- $100k in San Antonio-New Braunfels ≈ $100,186 purchasing power in Harrisonburg
- Rents drives the gap (-12.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TX:VA 94.7→94.9
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE TX × VA
- 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.
San Antonio-New Braunfels
94.7
Cost Index
Harrisonburg
94.9
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX and Harrisonburg, VA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Harrisonburg is 12.3 points lower. But rents 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 San Antonio-New Braunfels corresponds to $100,186 in Harrisonburg.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Harrisonburg
- 96.8
Diff +3.0 RPP
Services
- Harrisonburg
- 88.5
Diff +6.4 RPP
Rents
- Harrisonburg
- 82.3
Diff -12.3 RPP
| Category | San Antonio-New Braunfels | Harrisonburg | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 94.7 | 94.9 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 96.8 | +3.0 |
| Services | 82.2 | 88.5 | +6.4 |
| Rents | 94.6 | 82.3 | -12.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
San Antonio-New Braunfels 94.7
Harrisonburg 94.9
Goods
San Antonio-New Braunfels 93.8
Harrisonburg 96.8
Services
San Antonio-New Braunfels 82.2
Harrisonburg 88.5
Rents
San Antonio-New Braunfels 94.6
Harrisonburg 82.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in San Antonio-New Braunfels would need to be in Harrisonburg for the same purchasing power:
| In San Antonio-New Braunfels | In Harrisonburg | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,093 | +$93 |
| $75,000 | $75,139 | +$139 |
| $100,000 | $100,186 | +$186 |
| $150,000 | $150,279 | +$279 |
$ in San Antonio-New Braunfels = in Harrisonburg
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (94.7 → 94.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Harrisonburg more expensive than San Antonio-New Braunfels?
Harrisonburg is 0.2% more expensive than San Antonio-New Braunfels. The overall cost index is 94.9 vs 94.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Harrisonburg equals $100K in San Antonio-New Braunfels?
A $100,000 salary in San Antonio-New Braunfels has the same purchasing power as $100,186 in Harrisonburg. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between San Antonio-New Braunfels and Harrisonburg?
Rents in San Antonio-New Braunfels are indexed at 94.6 while Harrisonburg is at 82.3 (national average = 100). San Antonio-New Braunfels 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.