Overall
- Williamsport
- 92.3
- Winston-Salem
- 92.0
Diff -0.3 RPP
Williamsport vs Winston-Salem
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Winston-Salem is 0.3% less expensive than Williamsport.
0.3% less expensive
Winston-Salem, NC is 0.3% less expensive than Williamsport, PA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.0 vs 92.3). A $100,000 salary in Williamsport buys about the same as $99,668 in Winston-Salem; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 92.3 (Williamsport) vs 92.0 (Winston-Salem)
- $100k in Williamsport ≈ $99,668 purchasing power in Winston-Salem
- Services drives the gap (-19.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair PA:NC 92.3→92.0
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE PA × NC
- 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
Winston-Salem
92.0
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Williamsport, PA and Winston-Salem, NC are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Winston-Salem is 19.0 points lower. 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Williamsport to $99,668 in Winston-Salem, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Williamsport
- 100.7
- Winston-Salem
- 96.6
Diff -4.1 RPP
Services
- Williamsport
- 107.5
- Winston-Salem
- 88.4
Diff -19.0 RPP
Rents
- Williamsport
- 64.4
- Winston-Salem
- 71.4
Diff +7.0 RPP
| Category | Williamsport | Winston-Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.3 | 92.0 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 96.6 | -4.1 |
| Services | 107.5 | 88.4 | -19.0 |
| Rents | 64.4 | 71.4 | +7.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Williamsport 92.3
Winston-Salem 92.0
Goods
Williamsport 100.7
Winston-Salem 96.6
Services
Williamsport 107.5
Winston-Salem 88.4
Rents
Williamsport 64.4
Winston-Salem 71.4
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Williamsport would need to be in Winston-Salem for the same purchasing power:
| In Williamsport | In Winston-Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,834 | $-166 |
| $75,000 | $74,751 | $-249 |
| $100,000 | $99,668 | $-332 |
| $150,000 | $149,501 | $-499 |
$ in Williamsport = in Winston-Salem
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.3 → 92.0), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Winston-Salem more expensive than Williamsport?
Winston-Salem is 0.3% less expensive than Williamsport. The overall cost index is 92.0 vs 92.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Winston-Salem equals $100K in Williamsport?
A $100,000 salary in Williamsport has the same purchasing power as $99,668 in Winston-Salem. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Williamsport and Winston-Salem?
Rents in Williamsport are indexed at 64.4 while Winston-Salem is at 71.4 (national average = 100). Winston-Salem 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.