Overall
89.8
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Dalton, GA
Cost-of-living indicators for Dalton, GA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 89.8
- Overall RPP
- #292
- of 387 metros
- 63.3
- Rents RPP
- $111K
- $100K national buys
Dalton ranks #292 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Victoria
The verdict
Dalton costs less than 75% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 89.8, 10.2% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 63.3.
- bottom 25%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.3
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 88.8
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $111,304 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $89,844.
Dalton vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
90 Bottom 25% higher than 25% 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
Dalton cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
63.3 RPP
- Services
Services
88.8 RPP
- Overall
Overall
89.8 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.3 RPP
What this shows Dalton's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 63.3 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 88.8. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Dalton's cost comes from
Metros near Dalton's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Dalton (Dalton, this metro): goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 63.3
- Victoria: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 69.3
- El Paso: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 71.2
- Montgomery: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 64.3
- Gulfport: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 67.9
- Lima: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 57.3
- Kokomo: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 59.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.3
Below avg
Services
88.8
Cheap
Rents
63.3
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Dalton's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Dalton: rents index at 63.3, 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 89.8.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Lynchburg, VA, St. Cloud, MN, Columbus, GA-AL. They resemble Dalton 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, Dalton's overall index has stayed within 0.6 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:
$89,844
in Dalton, GA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$44,922
$75,000 nationally
$67,383
$125,000 nationally
$112,305
$150,000 nationally
$134,766
$200,000 nationally
$179,688
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
B
79/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability B
79th 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.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Dalton's overall RPP fell -0.6 points, from 90.4 in 2023 to 89.8 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 87.7 to 88.8. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.6 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2021, when the index jumped 6.2 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Dalton overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 89.3 |
| 2009 | 85.2 |
| 2010 | 89.3 |
| 2011 | 87.5 |
| 2012 | 88.5 |
| 2013 | 87.9 |
| 2014 | 89.0 |
| 2015 | 88.7 |
| 2016 | 87.6 |
| 2017 | 85.3 |
| 2018 | 88.8 |
| 2019 | 87.6 |
| 2020 | 84.5 |
| 2021 | 90.7 |
| 2022 | 90.4 |
| 2023 | 90.4 |
| 2024 | 89.8 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Dalton'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.
Lynchburg, VA
Goods 96.8 · Services 87.8 · Rents 63.9 St. Cloud, MN
Goods 95.4 · Services 88.7 · Rents 65.1 Columbus, GA-AL
Goods 96.3 · Services 89.7 · Rents 61.2 Topeka, KS
Goods 94.0 · Services 88.9 · Rents 65.0 Sumter, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 87.3 · Rents 60.8 Peoria, IL
Goods 93.6 · Services 90.5 · Rents 63.8
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Dalton, GA's index of 89.8.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
GA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Dalton, GA near the bottom of GA's metros
Among the 14 GA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Dalton, GA ranks #4 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Dalton, GA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#4 of 14
0th percentile in GA
Services prices
#8 of 14
43rd percentile in GA
Rent prices
#8 of 14
43rd percentile in GA
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 GA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Dalton, GA: 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 (89.8 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (63.3 here).
Other GA Metros
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 100.1 Gainesville, GA 96.8 Savannah, GA 95.2 Hinesville, GA 93.9 Warner Robins, GA 93.8 Athens-Clarke County, GA 93.3
View all GA metros → Cheapest in GA → Most expensive in GA →
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 Dalton
How to read Dalton'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 $111,304 in Dalton. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 63.3, 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 Dalton 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 Dalton, GA?
Dalton, GA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 89.8, meaning it is 10.2% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.3, services at 88.8, and rents at 63.3. It ranks #292 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Dalton, GA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $89,844 in Dalton, GA. Conversely, $100K earned in Dalton, GA has the purchasing power of $111,304 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Dalton, GA?
Rents in Dalton, GA are indexed at 63.3, which is 36.7% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Dalton, GA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Dalton, GA's overall cost index changed by +0.6 points (from 89.3 to 89.8). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Dalton, GA?
The priciest category in Dalton, GA is goods at 96.3, 3.7% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 63.3, 36.7% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Dalton, GA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Victoria, El Paso, Montgomery. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Dalton, GA's 89.8.
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.