Overall
- Winston-Salem
- 92.0
- Appleton
- 92.4
Diff +0.4 RPP
Winston-Salem vs Appleton
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Appleton is 0.4% more expensive than Winston-Salem.
0.4% more expensive
Appleton, WI is 0.4% more expensive than Winston-Salem, NC on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.4 vs 92.0). A $100,000 salary in Winston-Salem buys about the same as $100,409 in Appleton; the largest component gap is goods.
- Overall RPP 92.0 (Winston-Salem) vs 92.4 (Appleton)
- $100k in Winston-Salem ≈ $100,409 purchasing power in Appleton
- Goods drives the gap (-2.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NC:WI 92.0→92.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NC × WI
- 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.
Winston-Salem
92.0
Cost Index
Appleton
92.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Winston-Salem, NC and Appleton, WI are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Goods creates the largest separation: Appleton is 2.8 points lower. But goods and 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 goods-led difference, remember that many tradable prices vary less by address than housing or labor-priced services. Use $100,409 in Appleton as the BEA equivalent of $100,000 in Winston-Salem, then replace the national basket with your own.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Winston-Salem
- 96.6
- Appleton
- 93.8
Diff -2.8 RPP
Services
- Winston-Salem
- 88.4
- Appleton
- 90.6
Diff +2.2 RPP
Rents
- Winston-Salem
- 71.4
- Appleton
- 70.8
Diff -0.6 RPP
| Category | Winston-Salem | Appleton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.0 | 92.4 | +0.4 |
| Goods | 96.6 | 93.8 | -2.8 |
| Services | 88.4 | 90.6 | +2.2 |
| Rents | 71.4 | 70.8 | -0.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Winston-Salem 92.0
Appleton 92.4
Goods
Winston-Salem 96.6
Appleton 93.8
Services
Winston-Salem 88.4
Appleton 90.6
Rents
Winston-Salem 71.4
Appleton 70.8
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Winston-Salem would need to be in Appleton for the same purchasing power:
| In Winston-Salem | In Appleton | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,204 | +$204 |
| $75,000 | $75,306 | +$306 |
| $100,000 | $100,409 | +$409 |
| $150,000 | $150,613 | +$613 |
$ in Winston-Salem = in Appleton
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.0 → 92.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Appleton more expensive than Winston-Salem?
Appleton is 0.4% more expensive than Winston-Salem. The overall cost index is 92.4 vs 92.0 (national average = 100).
What salary in Appleton equals $100K in Winston-Salem?
A $100,000 salary in Winston-Salem has the same purchasing power as $100,409 in Appleton. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Winston-Salem and Appleton?
Rents in Winston-Salem are indexed at 71.4 while Appleton is at 70.8 (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.