Overall
- Yakima
- 95.5
- Grand Junction
- 95.5
Diff -0.1 RPP
Yakima vs Grand Junction
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Grand Junction is 0.1% less expensive than Yakima.
0.1% less expensive
Grand Junction, CO is 0.1% less expensive than Yakima, WA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 95.5 vs 95.5). A $100,000 salary in Yakima buys about the same as $99,928 in Grand Junction; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 95.5 (Yakima) vs 95.5 (Grand Junction)
- $100k in Yakima ≈ $99,928 purchasing power in Grand Junction
- Rents drives the gap (+13.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WA:CO 95.5→95.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WA × CO
- 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.
Yakima
95.5
Cost Index
Grand Junction
95.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Yakima, WA and Grand Junction, CO 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.
Rents creates the largest separation: Grand Junction is 13.7 points higher. 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 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 Yakima corresponds to $99,928 in Grand Junction.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Yakima
- 105.0
- Grand Junction
- 96.1
Diff -9.0 RPP
Services
- Yakima
- 91.9
- Grand Junction
- 83.3
Diff -8.6 RPP
Rents
- Yakima
- 72.6
- Grand Junction
- 86.4
Diff +13.7 RPP
| Category | Yakima | Grand Junction | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 95.5 | 95.5 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 105.0 | 96.1 | -9.0 |
| Services | 91.9 | 83.3 | -8.6 |
| Rents | 72.6 | 86.4 | +13.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Yakima 95.5
Grand Junction 95.5
Goods
Yakima 105.0
Grand Junction 96.1
Services
Yakima 91.9
Grand Junction 83.3
Rents
Yakima 72.6
Grand Junction 86.4
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Yakima would need to be in Grand Junction for the same purchasing power:
| In Yakima | In Grand Junction | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,964 | $-36 |
| $75,000 | $74,946 | $-54 |
| $100,000 | $99,928 | $-72 |
| $150,000 | $149,892 | $-108 |
$ in Yakima = in Grand Junction
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (95.5 → 95.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Grand Junction more expensive than Yakima?
Grand Junction is 0.1% less expensive than Yakima. The overall cost index is 95.5 vs 95.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in Grand Junction equals $100K in Yakima?
A $100,000 salary in Yakima has the same purchasing power as $99,928 in Grand Junction. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Yakima and Grand Junction?
Rents in Yakima are indexed at 72.6 while Grand Junction is at 86.4 (national average = 100). Grand Junction 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.