Overall
93.4
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Akron, OH
Cost-of-living indicators for Akron, OH, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 93.4
- Overall RPP
- #200
- of 387 metros
- 76.8
- Rents RPP
- $107K
- $100K national buys
Akron ranks #200 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Traverse City
The verdict
Akron costs less than 52% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 93.4, 6.6% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 76.8.
- bottom 48%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.6
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 96.4
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $107,101 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $93,370.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$93,370
in Akron, OH purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$46,685
$75,000 nationally
$70,028
$125,000 nationally
$116,713
$150,000 nationally
$140,055
$200,000 nationally
$186,740
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
54/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
54th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index jumped 2.7 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Akron overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 92.5 |
| 2009 | 95.2 |
| 2010 | 93.2 |
| 2011 | 94.0 |
| 2012 | 95.5 |
| 2013 | 95.2 |
| 2014 | 94.9 |
| 2015 | 95.5 |
| 2016 | 95.2 |
| 2017 | 95.3 |
| 2018 | 94.3 |
| 2019 | 94.7 |
| 2020 | 93.5 |
| 2021 | 93.5 |
| 2022 | 92.1 |
| 2023 | 92.9 |
| 2024 | 93.4 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Akron's overall RPP rose +0.4 points, from 92.9 in 2023 to 93.4 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 88.8 to 96.4. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Akron's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Akron: rents index at 76.8, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 93.4.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Cleveland, OH, Flint, MI, Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV. They resemble Akron across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Akron's overall index has stayed within 0.9 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Akron vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
93 Bottom 48% higher than 48% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Akron cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
76.8 RPP
- Services
Services
96.4 RPP
- Overall
Overall
93.4 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.6 RPP
What this shows Akron's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 76.8 depart furthest from 100, while goods sits at 93.6. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Akron's cost comes from
Metros near Akron's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Akron (Akron, this metro): goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 76.8
- Traverse City: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 78.1
- Athens: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 76.8
- Morgantown: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 69.1
- Lafayette: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 76.4
- Homosassa Springs: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 78.4
- Greenville: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 76.8
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.6
Below avg
Services
96.4
Below avg
Rents
76.8
Cheap
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Akron, OH's index of 93.4.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Akron's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Cleveland, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 96.0 · Rents 79.4 Flint, MI
Goods 93.7 · Services 97.1 · Rents 74.0 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
Goods 96.4 · Services 95.7 · Rents 75.7 Monroe, MI
Goods 93.7 · Services 93.7 · Rents 74.6 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 95.4 · Rents 72.7 Traverse City, MI
Goods 93.7 · Services 92.4 · Rents 78.1
OH-relative analysis
Goods prices places Akron, OH near the bottom of OH's metros
Among the 12 OH metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Akron, OH ranks #2 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Akron, OH only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 12
0th percentile in OH
Services prices
#4 of 12
67th percentile in OH
Rent prices
#4 of 12
67th percentile in OH
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within OH only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Akron, OH: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (93.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (76.8 here).
Other OH Metros
Columbus, OH 95.5 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 95.4 Cleveland, OH 93.9 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH 92.7 Toledo, OH 91.5 Springfield, OH 90.5
View all OH metros → Cheapest in OH → Most expensive in OH →
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Akron
How to read Akron's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $107,101 in Akron. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 76.8, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Akron head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Akron, OH?
Akron, OH has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 93.4, meaning it is 6.6% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.6, services at 96.4, and rents at 76.8. It ranks #200 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Akron, OH to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $93,370 in Akron, OH. Conversely, $100K earned in Akron, OH has the purchasing power of $107,101 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Akron, OH?
Rents in Akron, OH are indexed at 76.8, which is 23.2% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Akron, OH getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Akron, OH's overall cost index changed by +0.9 points (from 92.5 to 93.4). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Akron, OH?
The priciest category in Akron, OH is services at 96.4, 3.6% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 76.8, 23.2% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Akron, OH?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Traverse City, Athens-Clarke County, Morgantown. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Akron, OH's 93.4.
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.