Overall
89.4
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Canton-Massillon, OH
Cost-of-living indicators for Canton-Massillon, OH, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 89.4
- Overall RPP
- #301
- of 387 metros
- 58.1
- Rents RPP
- $112K
- $100K national buys
Canton ranks #301 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 4.0 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Columbia
The verdict
Canton costs less than 78% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 89.4, 10.6% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 58.1.
- bottom 22%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.6
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 96.9
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $111,849 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $89,406.
Canton vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
89 Bottom 22% higher than 22% 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
Canton cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
58.1 RPP
- Services
Services
96.9 RPP
- Overall
Overall
89.4 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.6 RPP
What this shows Canton's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 58.1 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 Canton's cost comes from
Metros near Canton's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Canton (Canton, this metro): goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 58.1
- Columbia: goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 69.2
- Little Rock: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 68.3
- Lynchburg: goods RPP 96.8, rents RPP 63.9
- Longview: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 66.7
- Altoona: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 55
- Wichita Falls: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 68.2
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.6
Below avg
Services
96.9
Below avg
Rents
58.1
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Canton's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Canton: rents index at 58.1, 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 89.4.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Sandusky, OH, Lima, OH, Mansfield, OH. They resemble Canton 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, Canton's overall index has fallen by 4.0 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:
$89,406
in Canton-Massillon, OH purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$44,703
$75,000 nationally
$67,055
$125,000 nationally
$111,758
$150,000 nationally
$134,109
$200,000 nationally
$178,812
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
B
87/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability B
87th 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 been trending downward, decreasing by 4.0 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2020, when the index dropped 2.2 points from the year before.
Canton overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 93.4 |
| 2009 | 92.1 |
| 2010 | 92.6 |
| 2011 | 91.2 |
| 2012 | 92.2 |
| 2013 | 92.0 |
| 2014 | 91.9 |
| 2015 | 91.1 |
| 2016 | 90.4 |
| 2017 | 90.3 |
| 2018 | 90.9 |
| 2019 | 91.1 |
| 2020 | 88.9 |
| 2021 | 89.7 |
| 2022 | 88.7 |
| 2023 | 88.6 |
| 2024 | 89.4 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Canton's overall RPP rose +0.8 points, from 88.6 in 2023 to 89.4 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 89.5 to 96.9. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Canton'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.
Sandusky, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 96.7 · Rents 59.5 Lima, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 95.8 · Rents 57.3 Mansfield, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 96.2 · Rents 54.9 Battle Creek, MI
Goods 93.7 · Services 95.0 · Rents 61.0 Springfield, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 97.2 · Rents 61.7 Youngstown-Warren, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 96.3 · Rents 53.4
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Canton-Massillon, OH's index of 89.4.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
OH-relative analysis
Goods prices places Canton-Massillon, OH near the bottom of OH's metros
Among the 12 OH metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Canton-Massillon, OH ranks #2 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Canton-Massillon, OH only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 12
0th percentile in OH
Services prices
#2 of 12
83rd percentile in OH
Rent prices
#9 of 12
25th 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 Canton-Massillon, 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 (89.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (58.1 here).
Other OH Metros
Columbus, OH 95.5 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 95.4 Cleveland, OH 93.9 Akron, OH 93.4 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH 92.7 Toledo, OH 91.5
View all OH metros → Cheapest in OH → Most expensive in OH →
Compare to Other Metros
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
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What this means for Canton
How to read Canton'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 $111,849 in Canton. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 58.1, 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 Canton 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 Canton-Massillon, OH?
Canton-Massillon, OH has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 89.4, meaning it is 10.6% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.6, services at 96.9, and rents at 58.1. It ranks #301 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Canton-Massillon, OH to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $89,406 in Canton-Massillon, OH. Conversely, $100K earned in Canton-Massillon, OH has the purchasing power of $111,849 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Canton-Massillon, OH?
Rents in Canton-Massillon, OH are indexed at 58.1, which is 41.9% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Canton-Massillon, OH getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Canton-Massillon, OH's overall cost index changed by -4.0 points (from 93.4 to 89.4). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Canton-Massillon, OH?
The priciest category in Canton-Massillon, OH is services at 96.9, 3.1% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 58.1, 41.9% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Canton-Massillon, OH?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Columbia, Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, Lynchburg. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Canton-Massillon, OH's 89.4.
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.