Overall
- Weirton-Steubenville
- 89.0
- Ames
- 88.8
Diff -0.2 RPP
Weirton-Steubenville vs Ames
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Ames is 0.2% less expensive than Weirton-Steubenville.
0.2% less expensive
Ames, IA is 0.2% less expensive than Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 88.8 vs 89.0). A $100,000 salary in Weirton-Steubenville buys about the same as $99,782 in Ames; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 89.0 (Weirton-Steubenville) vs 88.8 (Ames)
- $100k in Weirton-Steubenville ≈ $99,782 purchasing power in Ames
- Rents drives the gap (+16.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WV:IA 89.0→88.8
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WV × IA
- 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.
Weirton-Steubenville
89.0
Cost Index
Ames
88.8
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH and Ames, IA 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: Ames is 16.8 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 Weirton-Steubenville corresponds to $99,782 in Ames.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Weirton-Steubenville
- 96.4
- Ames
- 93.7
Diff -2.7 RPP
Services
- Weirton-Steubenville
- 95.0
- Ames
- 83.0
Diff -12.0 RPP
Rents
- Weirton-Steubenville
- 52.4
- Ames
- 69.2
Diff +16.8 RPP
| Category | Weirton-Steubenville | Ames | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 89.0 | 88.8 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 93.7 | -2.7 |
| Services | 95.0 | 83.0 | -12.0 |
| Rents | 52.4 | 69.2 | +16.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Weirton-Steubenville 89.0
Ames 88.8
Goods
Weirton-Steubenville 96.4
Ames 93.7
Services
Weirton-Steubenville 95.0
Ames 83.0
Rents
Weirton-Steubenville 52.4
Ames 69.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Weirton-Steubenville would need to be in Ames for the same purchasing power:
| In Weirton-Steubenville | In Ames | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,891 | $-109 |
| $75,000 | $74,837 | $-163 |
| $100,000 | $99,782 | $-218 |
| $150,000 | $149,673 | $-327 |
$ in Weirton-Steubenville = in Ames
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (89.0 → 88.8), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ames more expensive than Weirton-Steubenville?
Ames is 0.2% less expensive than Weirton-Steubenville. The overall cost index is 88.8 vs 89.0 (national average = 100).
What salary in Ames equals $100K in Weirton-Steubenville?
A $100,000 salary in Weirton-Steubenville has the same purchasing power as $99,782 in Ames. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Weirton-Steubenville and Ames?
Rents in Weirton-Steubenville are indexed at 52.4 while Ames is at 69.2 (national average = 100). Ames 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.