Overall
86.7
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Grand Forks, ND-MN
Cost-of-living indicators for Grand Forks, ND-MN, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 86.7
- Overall RPP
- #357
- of 387 metros
- 59.7
- Rents RPP
- $115K
- $100K national buys
Grand Forks ranks #357 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 8.9 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Grand Island
The verdict
Grand Forks costs less than 92% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 86.7, 13.3% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 59.7.
- bottom 8%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 95.6
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 77.1
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $115,389 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $86,663.
Grand Forks vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
87 Bottom 8% higher than 8% 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
Grand Forks cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
59.7 RPP
- Services
Services
77.1 RPP
- Overall
Overall
86.7 RPP
- Goods
Goods
95.6 RPP
What this shows Grand Forks's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 59.7 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 77.1. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Grand Forks's cost comes from
Metros near Grand Forks's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Grand Forks (Grand Forks, this metro): goods RPP 95.6, rents RPP 59.7
- Grand Island: goods RPP 94.1, rents RPP 61.7
- Florence: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 52.4
- Sioux City: goods RPP 94, rents RPP 57.8
- Kingsport: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 56.5
- St. Joseph: goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 55.4
- Laredo: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 59.7
Price Index Summary
Goods
95.6
Below avg
Services
77.1
Cheap
Rents
59.7
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Grand Forks's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Grand Forks: rents index at 59.7, 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 86.7.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Hattiesburg, MS, Farmington, NM, Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA. They resemble Grand Forks 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, Grand Forks's overall index has fallen by 8.9 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.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$86,663
in Grand Forks, ND-MN purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$43,332
$75,000 nationally
$64,997
$125,000 nationally
$108,329
$150,000 nationally
$129,995
$200,000 nationally
$173,326
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
B
84/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability B
84th 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 8.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2013, when the index jumped 4.1 points from the year before.
Grand Forks overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 95.6 |
| 2009 | 92.3 |
| 2010 | 93.3 |
| 2011 | 92.1 |
| 2012 | 89.7 |
| 2013 | 93.8 |
| 2014 | 92.1 |
| 2015 | 93.3 |
| 2016 | 92.2 |
| 2017 | 91.1 |
| 2018 | 91.7 |
| 2019 | 94.1 |
| 2020 | 91.2 |
| 2021 | 90.0 |
| 2022 | 86.8 |
| 2023 | 85.9 |
| 2024 | 86.7 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Grand Forks's overall RPP rose +0.8 points, from 85.9 in 2023 to 86.7 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 57.6 to 59.7. 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 Grand Forks'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.
Hattiesburg, MS
Goods 96.2 · Services 76.9 · Rents 60.1 Farmington, NM
Goods 96.1 · Services 77.9 · Rents 56.6 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
Goods 96.2 · Services 75.9 · Rents 56.5 Las Cruces, NM
Goods 96.1 · Services 77.9 · Rents 63.0 Grand Island, NE
Goods 94.1 · Services 74.2 · Rents 61.7 Laredo, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 80.6 · Rents 59.7
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Grand Forks, ND-MN's index of 86.7.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
ND-relative analysis
Goods prices places Grand Forks, ND-MN near the bottom of ND's metros
Among the 4 ND metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Grand Forks, ND-MN ranks #4 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Grand Forks, ND-MN only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#4 of 4
0th percentile in ND
Services prices
#2 of 4
50th percentile in ND
Rent prices
#4 of 4
0th percentile in ND
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 ND only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Grand Forks, ND-MN: 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 (86.7 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (59.7 here).
Other ND Metros
View all ND metros → Cheapest in ND → Most expensive in ND →
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
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for Grand Forks
How to read Grand Forks'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 $115,389 in Grand Forks. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 59.7, 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 Grand Forks 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 Grand Forks, ND-MN?
Grand Forks, ND-MN has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 86.7, meaning it is 13.3% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 95.6, services at 77.1, and rents at 59.7. It ranks #357 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Grand Forks, ND-MN to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $86,663 in Grand Forks, ND-MN. Conversely, $100K earned in Grand Forks, ND-MN has the purchasing power of $115,389 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Grand Forks, ND-MN?
Rents in Grand Forks, ND-MN are indexed at 59.7, which is 40.3% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Grand Forks, ND-MN getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Grand Forks, ND-MN's overall cost index changed by -8.9 points (from 95.6 to 86.7). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Grand Forks, ND-MN?
The priciest category in Grand Forks, ND-MN is goods at 95.6, 4.4% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 59.7, 40.3% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Grand Forks, ND-MN?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Grand Island, Florence, Sioux City. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Grand Forks, ND-MN's 86.7.
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.