Overall
- Columbia
- 93.7
Diff +0.1 RPP
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre vs Columbia
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Columbia is 0.1% more expensive than Scranton--Wilkes-Barre.
0.1% more expensive
Columbia, SC is 0.1% more expensive than Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 93.7 vs 93.6). A $100,000 salary in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre buys about the same as $100,113 in Columbia; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 93.6 (Scranton--Wilkes-Barre) vs 93.7 (Columbia)
- $100k in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre ≈ $100,113 purchasing power in Columbia
- Services drives the gap (-18.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair PA:SC 93.6→93.7
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE PA × SC
- 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.
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre
93.6
Cost Index
Columbia
93.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA and Columbia, SC 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.
Services creates the largest separation: Columbia is 18.2 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre to $100,113 in Columbia, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Scranton--Wilkes-Barre
- 100.7
- Columbia
- 96.3
Diff -4.3 RPP
Services
- Scranton--Wilkes-Barre
- 106.5
- Columbia
- 88.3
Diff -18.2 RPP
Rents
- Columbia
- 79.5
Diff +12.5 RPP
| Category | Scranton--Wilkes-Barre | Columbia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 93.6 | 93.7 | +0.1 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 96.3 | -4.3 |
| Services | 106.5 | 88.3 | -18.2 |
| Rents | 67.0 | 79.5 | +12.5 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 93.6
Columbia 93.7
Goods
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 100.7
Columbia 96.3
Services
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 106.5
Columbia 88.3
Rents
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 67.0
Columbia 79.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre would need to be in Columbia for the same purchasing power:
| In Scranton--Wilkes-Barre | In Columbia | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,057 | +$57 |
| $75,000 | $75,085 | +$85 |
| $100,000 | $100,113 | +$113 |
| $150,000 | $150,170 | +$170 |
$ in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre = in Columbia
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (93.6 → 93.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Columbia more expensive than Scranton--Wilkes-Barre?
Columbia is 0.1% more expensive than Scranton--Wilkes-Barre. The overall cost index is 93.7 vs 93.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Columbia equals $100K in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre?
A $100,000 salary in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre has the same purchasing power as $100,113 in Columbia. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Scranton--Wilkes-Barre and Columbia?
Rents in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre are indexed at 67.0 while Columbia is at 79.5 (national average = 100). Columbia 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.