Overall
- Winston-Salem
- 92.0
- La Crosse-Onalaska
- 91.8
Diff -0.3 RPP
Winston-Salem vs La Crosse-Onalaska
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. La Crosse-Onalaska is 0.3% less expensive than Winston-Salem.
0.3% less expensive
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN is 0.3% less expensive than Winston-Salem, NC on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 91.8 vs 92.0). A $100,000 salary in Winston-Salem buys about the same as $99,702 in La Crosse-Onalaska; the largest component gap is goods.
- Overall RPP 92.0 (Winston-Salem) vs 91.8 (La Crosse-Onalaska)
- $100k in Winston-Salem ≈ $99,702 purchasing power in La Crosse-Onalaska
- Goods drives the gap (-2.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NC:WI 92.0→91.8
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
La Crosse-Onalaska
91.8
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Winston-Salem, NC and La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN 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.
Goods creates the largest separation: La Crosse-Onalaska is 2.8 points lower. But services 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 $99,702 in La Crosse-Onalaska 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
- La Crosse-Onalaska
- 93.8
Diff -2.8 RPP
Services
- Winston-Salem
- 88.4
- La Crosse-Onalaska
- 89.5
Diff +1.1 RPP
Rents
- Winston-Salem
- 71.4
- La Crosse-Onalaska
- 69.4
Diff -2.0 RPP
| Category | Winston-Salem | La Crosse-Onalaska | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.0 | 91.8 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 96.6 | 93.8 | -2.8 |
| Services | 88.4 | 89.5 | +1.1 |
| Rents | 71.4 | 69.4 | -2.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Winston-Salem 92.0
La Crosse-Onalaska 91.8
Goods
Winston-Salem 96.6
La Crosse-Onalaska 93.8
Services
Winston-Salem 88.4
La Crosse-Onalaska 89.5
Rents
Winston-Salem 71.4
La Crosse-Onalaska 69.4
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Winston-Salem would need to be in La Crosse-Onalaska for the same purchasing power:
| In Winston-Salem | In La Crosse-Onalaska | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,851 | $-149 |
| $75,000 | $74,777 | $-223 |
| $100,000 | $99,702 | $-298 |
| $150,000 | $149,553 | $-447 |
$ in Winston-Salem = in La Crosse-Onalaska
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.0 → 91.8), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is La Crosse-Onalaska more expensive than Winston-Salem?
La Crosse-Onalaska is 0.3% less expensive than Winston-Salem. The overall cost index is 91.8 vs 92.0 (national average = 100).
What salary in La Crosse-Onalaska equals $100K in Winston-Salem?
A $100,000 salary in Winston-Salem has the same purchasing power as $99,702 in La Crosse-Onalaska. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Winston-Salem and La Crosse-Onalaska?
Rents in Winston-Salem are indexed at 71.4 while La Crosse-Onalaska is at 69.4 (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.