Overall
98.1
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Carson City, NV
Cost-of-living indicators for Carson City, NV, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 98.1
- Overall RPP
- #112
- of 387 metros
- 101.2
- Rents RPP
- $102K
- $100K national buys
Carson City ranks #112 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Raleigh-Cary
The verdict
Carson City costs less than 29% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 98.1, 1.9% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 92.7.
- bottom 71%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.3
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 92.7
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $101,906 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $98,130.
Service-cost relief profile
How Carson City's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Carson City: their index is 92.7, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 98.1 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ, Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC, Madison, WI. They resemble Carson City 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, Carson City's overall index has stayed within 1.7 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.
Carson City vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
98 Top 29% higher than 71% 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
Carson City cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
101.2 RPP
- Services
Services
92.7 RPP
- Overall
Overall
98.1 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.3 RPP
What this shows Carson City's strongest departure is services at 92.7; goods follows at 96.3. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Carson City's cost comes from
Metros near Carson City's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Carson City (Carson City, this metro): goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 101.2
- Raleigh: goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 103.5
- Austin: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 120.4
- Provo: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 104.1
- Hilton Head Island: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 101.2
- Prescott Valley: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 98.8
- Lancaster: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 93.8
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.3
Below avg
Services
92.7
Below avg
Rents
101.2
Above avg
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 1.7 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index dropped 4.4 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Carson City overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 99.8 |
| 2009 | 95.4 |
| 2010 | 97.5 |
| 2011 | 97.4 |
| 2012 | 95.1 |
| 2013 | 96.4 |
| 2014 | 97.4 |
| 2015 | 99.1 |
| 2016 | 96.1 |
| 2017 | 97.7 |
| 2018 | 94.8 |
| 2019 | 98.5 |
| 2020 | 94.9 |
| 2021 | 94.0 |
| 2022 | 94.5 |
| 2023 | 94.9 |
| 2024 | 98.1 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Carson City's overall RPP rose +3.2 points, from 94.9 in 2023 to 98.1 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 93.4 to 101.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$98,130
in Carson City, NV purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$49,065
$75,000 nationally
$73,598
$125,000 nationally
$122,663
$150,000 nationally
$147,195
$200,000 nationally
$196,260
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
24/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
24th 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.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Carson City'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.
Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ
Goods 96.2 · Services 91.5 · Rents 98.8 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
Goods 96.8 · Services 89.6 · Rents 99.8 Madison, WI
Goods 93.8 · Services 89.8 · Rents 99.7 Richmond, VA
Goods 96.8 · Services 89.2 · Rents 99.1 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 89.3 · Rents 98.9 Raleigh-Cary, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 89.0 · Rents 103.5
NV-relative analysis
Goods prices places Carson City, NV near the bottom of NV's metros
Among the 3 NV metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Carson City, NV ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Carson City, NV only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 3
0th percentile in NV
Services prices
#1 of 3
67th percentile in NV
Rent prices
#3 of 3
0th percentile in NV
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 NV only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Carson City, NV: 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 (98.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (101.2 here).
Other NV Metros
View all NV metros → Cheapest in NV → Most expensive in NV →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Carson City, NV's index of 98.1.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
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
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.
What this means for Carson City
How to read Carson City'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 $101,906 in Carson City. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 92.7, 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 Carson City 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 Carson City, NV?
Carson City, NV has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 98.1, meaning it is 1.9% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.3, services at 92.7, and rents at 101.2. It ranks #112 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Carson City, NV to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $98,130 in Carson City, NV. Conversely, $100K earned in Carson City, NV has the purchasing power of $101,906 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Carson City, NV?
Rents in Carson City, NV are indexed at 101.2, which is 1.2% above the national average. This is close to the U.S. average.
Is Carson City, NV getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Carson City, NV's overall cost index changed by -1.7 points (from 99.8 to 98.1). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Carson City, NV?
The priciest category in Carson City, NV is rents at 101.2, 1.2% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 92.7, 7.3% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Carson City, NV?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Raleigh-Cary, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Provo-Orem-Lehi. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Carson City, NV's 98.1.
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.