Overall
- Winston-Salem
- 92.0
- Midland
- 91.9
Diff -0.1 RPP
Winston-Salem vs Midland
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Midland is 0.1% less expensive than Winston-Salem.
0.1% less expensive
Midland, MI is 0.1% less expensive than Winston-Salem, NC on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 91.9 vs 92.0). A $100,000 salary in Winston-Salem buys about the same as $99,867 in Midland; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 92.0 (Winston-Salem) vs 91.9 (Midland)
- $100k in Winston-Salem ≈ $99,867 purchasing power in Midland
- Services drives the gap (+6.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NC:MI 92.0→91.9
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NC × MI
- 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
Midland
91.9
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Winston-Salem, NC and Midland, MI are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Midland is 6.8 points higher. 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Winston-Salem to $99,867 in Midland, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Winston-Salem
- 96.6
- Midland
- 93.7
Diff -2.9 RPP
Services
- Winston-Salem
- 88.4
- Midland
- 95.2
Diff +6.8 RPP
Rents
- Winston-Salem
- 71.4
- Midland
- 66.7
Diff -4.7 RPP
| Category | Winston-Salem | Midland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.0 | 91.9 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 96.6 | 93.7 | -2.9 |
| Services | 88.4 | 95.2 | +6.8 |
| Rents | 71.4 | 66.7 | -4.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Winston-Salem 92.0
Midland 91.9
Goods
Winston-Salem 96.6
Midland 93.7
Services
Winston-Salem 88.4
Midland 95.2
Rents
Winston-Salem 71.4
Midland 66.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Winston-Salem would need to be in Midland for the same purchasing power:
| In Winston-Salem | In Midland | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,934 | $-66 |
| $75,000 | $74,901 | $-99 |
| $100,000 | $99,867 | $-133 |
| $150,000 | $149,801 | $-199 |
$ in Winston-Salem = in Midland
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.0 → 91.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Midland more expensive than Winston-Salem?
Midland is 0.1% less expensive than Winston-Salem. The overall cost index is 91.9 vs 92.0 (national average = 100).
What salary in Midland equals $100K in Winston-Salem?
A $100,000 salary in Winston-Salem has the same purchasing power as $99,867 in Midland. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Winston-Salem and Midland?
Rents in Winston-Salem are indexed at 71.4 while Midland is at 66.7 (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.