Overall
- Walla Walla
- 98.5
- Champaign-Urbana
- 92.7
Diff -5.8 RPP
Walla Walla vs Champaign-Urbana
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Champaign-Urbana is 5.9% less expensive than Walla Walla.
5.9% less expensive
Champaign-Urbana, IL is 5.9% less expensive than Walla Walla, WA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.7 vs 98.5). A $100,000 salary in Walla Walla buys about the same as $94,098 in Champaign-Urbana; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.5 (Walla Walla) vs 92.7 (Champaign-Urbana)
- $100k in Walla Walla ≈ $94,098 purchasing power in Champaign-Urbana
- Rents drives the gap (-15.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WA:IL 98.5→92.7
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE WA × IL
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
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.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Walla Walla would need to be in Champaign-Urbana for the same purchasing power:
| In Walla Walla | In Champaign-Urbana | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $47,049 | $-2,951 |
| $75,000 | $70,573 | $-4,427 |
| $100,000 | $94,098 | $-5,902 |
| $150,000 | $141,146 | $-8,854 |
$ in Walla Walla = in Champaign-Urbana
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.5 → 92.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
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.
Champaign-Urbana, IL is 5.9% less expensive than Walla Walla, WA, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 5.8-point overall gap.
Rents leads the difference, with Champaign-Urbana 15.0 points lower than Walla Walla. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
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 Walla Walla corresponds to $94,098 in Champaign-Urbana.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Walla Walla
- 105.0
- Champaign-Urbana
- 93.6
Diff -11.4 RPP
Services
- Walla Walla
- 94.3
- Champaign-Urbana
- 90.5
Diff -3.8 RPP
Rents
- Walla Walla
- 86.6
- Champaign-Urbana
- 71.6
Diff -15.0 RPP
| Category | Walla Walla | Champaign-Urbana | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.5 | 92.7 | -5.8 |
| Goods | 105.0 | 93.6 | -11.4 |
| Services | 94.3 | 90.5 | -3.8 |
| Rents | 86.6 | 71.6 | -15.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Walla Walla 98.5
Champaign-Urbana 92.7
Goods
Walla Walla 105.0
Champaign-Urbana 93.6
Services
Walla Walla 94.3
Champaign-Urbana 90.5
Rents
Walla Walla 86.6
Champaign-Urbana 71.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Walla Walla
98.5
Cost Index
Champaign-Urbana
92.7
Cost Index
How the Price Gap Changed
Walla Walla and Champaign-Urbana share 17 published annual releases from 2008 through 2024. Their overall gap widened, moving from 0.6 to 5.8 RPP points. Walla Walla remained the higher-index metro in the latest release.
Services changed the most within this pair: its gap moved 33.5 points between the first and latest shared releases (29.6 to 3.8 points). This describes a relative price-index history, not a forecast or a household budget.
| Release Year | Walla Walla RPP | Champaign-Urbana RPP | Relative Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 95.6 | 96.2 | 0.6 points Champaign-Urbana higher |
| 2012 | 95.1 | 94.2 | 1.0 points Walla Walla higher |
| 2016 | 96.3 | 93.7 | 2.6 points Walla Walla higher |
| 2020 | 95.2 | 91.9 | 3.3 points Walla Walla higher |
| 2024 | 98.5 | 92.7 | 5.8 points Walla Walla higher |
Annual BEA Regional Price Parity releases; a higher index means a higher price level relative to the national average of 100. Selected years shown from the full shared series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Champaign-Urbana more expensive than Walla Walla?
Champaign-Urbana is 5.9% less expensive than Walla Walla. The overall cost index is 92.7 vs 98.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in Champaign-Urbana equals $100K in Walla Walla?
A $100,000 salary in Walla Walla has the same purchasing power as $94,098 in Champaign-Urbana. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Walla Walla and Champaign-Urbana?
Rents in Walla Walla are indexed at 86.6 while Champaign-Urbana is at 71.6 (national average = 100). Walla Walla 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.