Overall
- Williamsport
- 92.3
- Kansas City
- 92.5
Diff +0.2 RPP
Williamsport vs Kansas City
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Kansas City is 0.2% more expensive than Williamsport.
0.2% more expensive
Kansas City, MO-KS is 0.2% more expensive than Williamsport, PA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.5 vs 92.3). A $100,000 salary in Williamsport buys about the same as $100,209 in Kansas City; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 92.3 (Williamsport) vs 92.5 (Kansas City)
- $100k in Williamsport ≈ $100,209 purchasing power in Kansas City
- Rents drives the gap (+22.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair PA:MO 92.3→92.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE PA × MO
- 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.
Williamsport
92.3
Cost Index
Kansas City
92.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Williamsport, PA and Kansas City, MO-KS 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: Kansas City is 22.3 points higher. 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 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 Williamsport corresponds to $100,209 in Kansas City.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Williamsport
- 100.7
- Kansas City
- 94.1
Diff -6.6 RPP
Services
- Williamsport
- 107.5
- Kansas City
- 89.0
Diff -18.4 RPP
Rents
- Williamsport
- 64.4
- Kansas City
- 86.6
Diff +22.3 RPP
| Category | Williamsport | Kansas City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.3 | 92.5 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 94.1 | -6.6 |
| Services | 107.5 | 89.0 | -18.4 |
| Rents | 64.4 | 86.6 | +22.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Williamsport 92.3
Kansas City 92.5
Goods
Williamsport 100.7
Kansas City 94.1
Services
Williamsport 107.5
Kansas City 89.0
Rents
Williamsport 64.4
Kansas City 86.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Williamsport would need to be in Kansas City for the same purchasing power:
| In Williamsport | In Kansas City | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,104 | +$104 |
| $75,000 | $75,157 | +$157 |
| $100,000 | $100,209 | +$209 |
| $150,000 | $150,313 | +$313 |
$ in Williamsport = in Kansas City
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.3 → 92.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kansas City more expensive than Williamsport?
Kansas City is 0.2% more expensive than Williamsport. The overall cost index is 92.5 vs 92.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Kansas City equals $100K in Williamsport?
A $100,000 salary in Williamsport has the same purchasing power as $100,209 in Kansas City. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Williamsport and Kansas City?
Rents in Williamsport are indexed at 64.4 while Kansas City is at 86.6 (national average = 100). Kansas City 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.