Overall
- Monroe
- 93.5
Diff -0.1 RPP
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre vs Monroe
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Monroe is 0.1% less expensive than Scranton--Wilkes-Barre.
0.1% less expensive
Monroe, MI is 0.1% less expensive than Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 93.5 vs 93.6). A $100,000 salary in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre buys about the same as $99,932 in Monroe; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 93.6 (Scranton--Wilkes-Barre) vs 93.5 (Monroe)
- $100k in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre ≈ $99,932 purchasing power in Monroe
- Services drives the gap (-12.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair PA:MI 93.6→93.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE PA × MI
- 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
Monroe
93.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA and Monroe, MI 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: Monroe is 12.9 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 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 $99,932 in Monroe, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Scranton--Wilkes-Barre
- 100.7
- Monroe
- 93.7
Diff -7.0 RPP
Services
- Scranton--Wilkes-Barre
- 106.5
- Monroe
- 93.7
Diff -12.9 RPP
Rents
- Monroe
- 74.6
Diff +7.7 RPP
| Category | Scranton--Wilkes-Barre | Monroe | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 93.6 | 93.5 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 93.7 | -7.0 |
| Services | 106.5 | 93.7 | -12.9 |
| Rents | 67.0 | 74.6 | +7.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 93.6
Monroe 93.5
Goods
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 100.7
Monroe 93.7
Services
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 106.5
Monroe 93.7
Rents
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 67.0
Monroe 74.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre would need to be in Monroe for the same purchasing power:
| In Scranton--Wilkes-Barre | In Monroe | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,966 | $-34 |
| $75,000 | $74,949 | $-51 |
| $100,000 | $99,932 | $-68 |
| $150,000 | $149,897 | $-103 |
$ in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre = in Monroe
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (93.6 → 93.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Monroe more expensive than Scranton--Wilkes-Barre?
Monroe is 0.1% less expensive than Scranton--Wilkes-Barre. The overall cost index is 93.5 vs 93.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Monroe equals $100K in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre?
A $100,000 salary in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre has the same purchasing power as $99,932 in Monroe. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Scranton--Wilkes-Barre and Monroe?
Rents in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre are indexed at 67.0 while Monroe is at 74.6 (national average = 100). Monroe 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.