Overall
- Spartanburg
- 91.1
- Rochester
- 90.8
Diff -0.2 RPP
Spartanburg vs Rochester
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Rochester is 0.3% less expensive than Spartanburg.
0.3% less expensive
Rochester, MN is 0.3% less expensive than Spartanburg, SC on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 90.8 vs 91.1). A $100,000 salary in Spartanburg buys about the same as $99,747 in Rochester; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 91.1 (Spartanburg) vs 90.8 (Rochester)
- $100k in Spartanburg ≈ $99,747 purchasing power in Rochester
- Rents drives the gap (+10.6 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair SC:MN 91.1→90.8
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE SC × MN
- 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.
Spartanburg
91.1
Cost Index
Rochester
90.8
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Spartanburg, SC and Rochester, MN 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: Rochester is 10.6 points higher. 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 Spartanburg corresponds to $99,747 in Rochester.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Spartanburg
- 96.3
- Rochester
- 95.4
Diff -0.9 RPP
Services
- Spartanburg
- 88.3
- Rochester
- 87.4
Diff -0.9 RPP
Rents
- Spartanburg
- 68.0
- Rochester
- 78.6
Diff +10.6 RPP
| Category | Spartanburg | Rochester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 91.1 | 90.8 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 96.3 | 95.4 | -0.9 |
| Services | 88.3 | 87.4 | -0.9 |
| Rents | 68.0 | 78.6 | +10.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Spartanburg 91.1
Rochester 90.8
Goods
Spartanburg 96.3
Rochester 95.4
Services
Spartanburg 88.3
Rochester 87.4
Rents
Spartanburg 68.0
Rochester 78.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Spartanburg would need to be in Rochester for the same purchasing power:
| In Spartanburg | In Rochester | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,874 | $-126 |
| $75,000 | $74,811 | $-189 |
| $100,000 | $99,747 | $-253 |
| $150,000 | $149,621 | $-379 |
$ in Spartanburg = in Rochester
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (91.1 → 90.8), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rochester more expensive than Spartanburg?
Rochester is 0.3% less expensive than Spartanburg. The overall cost index is 90.8 vs 91.1 (national average = 100).
What salary in Rochester equals $100K in Spartanburg?
A $100,000 salary in Spartanburg has the same purchasing power as $99,747 in Rochester. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Spartanburg and Rochester?
Rents in Spartanburg are indexed at 68.0 while Rochester is at 78.6 (national average = 100). Rochester 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.