Overall
98.4
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Barnstable Town, MA
Cost-of-living indicators for Barnstable Town, MA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 98.4
- Overall RPP
- #104
- of 387 metros
- 90.0
- Rents RPP
- $102K
- $100K national buys
Barnstable Town ranks #104 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 4.4 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Boise City
The verdict
Barnstable Town costs less than 27% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 98.4, 1.6% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 158.4.
- bottom 73%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 97.0
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 158.4
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $101,677 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $98,351.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Barnstable Town's overall RPP fell -8.1 points, from 106.5 in 2023 to 98.4 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 124.2 to 90.0. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 4.4 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2024, when the index dropped 8.1 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Barnstable Town overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 102.8 |
| 2009 | 102.7 |
| 2010 | 105.2 |
| 2011 | 99.4 |
| 2012 | 100.9 |
| 2013 | 100.0 |
| 2014 | 104.5 |
| 2015 | 105.7 |
| 2016 | 105.8 |
| 2017 | 105.8 |
| 2018 | 101.1 |
| 2019 | 105.2 |
| 2020 | 101.3 |
| 2021 | 101.4 |
| 2022 | 108.8 |
| 2023 | 106.5 |
| 2024 | 98.4 |
Barnstable Town vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
98 Top 27% higher than 73% 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
Barnstable Town cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
90 RPP
- Services
Services
158.5 RPP
- Overall
Overall
98.4 RPP
- Goods
Goods
97 RPP
What this shows Barnstable Town's strongest departure is services at 158.4; rents follows at 90.0. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Barnstable Town's cost comes from
Metros near Barnstable Town's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Barnstable Town (Barnstable Town, this metro): goods RPP 97, rents RPP 90
- Boise City: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 105.6
- Sebastian: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 101.6
- Coeur d'Alene: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 105.6
- Merced: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 78.6
- Lancaster: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 93.8
- Prescott Valley: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 98.8
Price Index Summary
Goods
97.0
Below avg
Services
158.4
Expensive
Rents
90.0
Below avg
Service-cost-led profile
How Barnstable Town's cost structure works
Services are the defining pressure in Barnstable Town: the BEA services component is 158.4, farther above the national baseline than local rents or tradable goods. That service-heavy pattern explains an overall RPP of 98.4 differently from a housing-led metro.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Amherst Town-Northampton, MA, Bakersfield-Delano, CA, Redding, CA. They resemble Barnstable Town 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, Barnstable Town's overall index has fallen by 4.4 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.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$98,351
in Barnstable Town, MA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$49,176
$75,000 nationally
$73,763
$125,000 nationally
$122,939
$150,000 nationally
$147,527
$200,000 nationally
$196,702
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
35/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
35th 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.
MA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Barnstable Town, MA near the bottom of MA's metros
Among the 6 MA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Barnstable Town, MA ranks #2 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Barnstable Town, MA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 6
0th percentile in MA
Services prices
#1 of 6
83rd percentile in MA
Rent prices
#4 of 6
33rd percentile in MA
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 MA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Barnstable Town, MA: 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 (98.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (90.0 here).
Other MA Metros
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 108.3 Worcester, MA 102.5 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA 100.2 Springfield, MA 96.1 Pittsfield, MA 95.1
View all MA metros → Cheapest in MA → Most expensive in MA →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Barnstable Town'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.
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
Goods 97.0 · Services 155.7 · Rents 97.5 Bakersfield-Delano, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 158.3 · Rents 90.3 Redding, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 157.7 · Rents 89.4 Chico, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 158.8 · Rents 91.9 Hanford-Corcoran, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 157.4 · Rents 93.5 Fresno, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 161.0 · Rents 95.7
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Barnstable Town, MA's index of 98.4.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
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.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Barnstable Town
How to read Barnstable Town'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 $101,677 in Barnstable Town. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 158.4, 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 Barnstable Town 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 Barnstable Town, MA?
Barnstable Town, MA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 98.4, meaning it is 1.6% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 97.0, services at 158.4, and rents at 90.0. It ranks #104 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Barnstable Town, MA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $98,351 in Barnstable Town, MA. Conversely, $100K earned in Barnstable Town, MA has the purchasing power of $101,677 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Barnstable Town, MA?
Rents in Barnstable Town, MA are indexed at 90.0, which is 10.0% below the national average. This is close to the U.S. average.
Is Barnstable Town, MA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Barnstable Town, MA's overall cost index changed by -4.4 points (from 102.8 to 98.4). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Barnstable Town, MA?
The priciest category in Barnstable Town, MA is services at 158.4, 58.4% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 90.0, 10.0% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Barnstable Town, MA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Boise City, Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, Coeur d'Alene. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Barnstable Town, MA's 98.4.
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.