Overall
- Roanoke
- 93.6
Diff +0.1 RPP
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre vs Roanoke
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Roanoke is 0.1% more expensive than Scranton--Wilkes-Barre.
0.1% more expensive
Roanoke, VA is 0.1% more expensive than Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 93.6 vs 93.6). A $100,000 salary in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre buys about the same as $100,066 in Roanoke; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 93.6 (Scranton--Wilkes-Barre) vs 93.6 (Roanoke)
- $100k in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre ≈ $100,066 purchasing power in Roanoke
- Services drives the gap (-17.6 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair PA:VA 93.6→93.6
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE PA × 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.
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre
93.6
Cost Index
Roanoke
93.6
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA and Roanoke, VA 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: Roanoke is 17.6 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 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 $100,066 in Roanoke, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Scranton--Wilkes-Barre
- 100.7
- Roanoke
- 96.8
Diff -3.9 RPP
Services
- Scranton--Wilkes-Barre
- 106.5
- Roanoke
- 88.9
Diff -17.6 RPP
Rents
- Roanoke
- 78.5
Diff +11.5 RPP
| Category | Scranton--Wilkes-Barre | Roanoke | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 93.6 | 93.6 | +0.1 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 96.8 | -3.9 |
| Services | 106.5 | 88.9 | -17.6 |
| Rents | 67.0 | 78.5 | +11.5 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 93.6
Roanoke 93.6
Goods
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 100.7
Roanoke 96.8
Services
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 106.5
Roanoke 88.9
Rents
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 67.0
Roanoke 78.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre would need to be in Roanoke for the same purchasing power:
| In Scranton--Wilkes-Barre | In Roanoke | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,033 | +$33 |
| $75,000 | $75,050 | +$50 |
| $100,000 | $100,066 | +$66 |
| $150,000 | $150,099 | +$99 |
$ in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre = in Roanoke
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (93.6 → 93.6), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Roanoke more expensive than Scranton--Wilkes-Barre?
Roanoke is 0.1% more expensive than Scranton--Wilkes-Barre. The overall cost index is 93.6 vs 93.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Roanoke equals $100K in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre?
A $100,000 salary in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre has the same purchasing power as $100,066 in Roanoke. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Scranton--Wilkes-Barre and Roanoke?
Rents in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre are indexed at 67.0 while Roanoke is at 78.5 (national average = 100). Roanoke 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.