Overall
91.2
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Lewiston, ID-WA
Cost-of-living indicators for Lewiston, ID-WA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 91.2
- Overall RPP
- #264
- of 387 metros
- 71.9
- Rents RPP
- $110K
- $100K national buys
Lewiston ranks #264 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 2.8 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Killeen-Temple
The verdict
Lewiston costs less than 68% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 91.2, 8.8% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 71.9.
- bottom 32%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 72.6
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $109,697 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $91,160.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 2.8 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2012, when the index dropped 5.8 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Lewiston overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 93.9 |
| 2009 | 93.6 |
| 2010 | 93.7 |
| 2011 | 94.1 |
| 2012 | 88.3 |
| 2013 | 91.4 |
| 2014 | 91.6 |
| 2015 | 92.7 |
| 2016 | 91.5 |
| 2017 | 89.7 |
| 2018 | 87.8 |
| 2019 | 89.6 |
| 2020 | 86.1 |
| 2021 | 86.7 |
| 2022 | 85.1 |
| 2023 | 87.9 |
| 2024 | 91.2 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Lewiston's overall RPP rose +3.3 points, from 87.9 in 2023 to 91.2 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 69.0 to 72.6. 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:
$91,160
in Lewiston, ID-WA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$45,580
$75,000 nationally
$68,370
$125,000 nationally
$113,950
$150,000 nationally
$136,740
$200,000 nationally
$182,320
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
64/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
64th 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.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Lewiston's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Lewiston: rents index at 71.9, 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 91.2.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Clarksville, TN-KY, Twin Falls, ID *, Oklahoma City, OK. They resemble Lewiston 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, Lewiston's overall index has fallen by 2.8 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.
Lewiston vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
91 Bottom 32% higher than 32% 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
Lewiston cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
71.9 RPP
- Services
Services
72.6 RPP
- Overall
Overall
91.2 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Lewiston's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 71.9 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 72.6. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Lewiston's cost comes from
Metros near Lewiston's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Crosshairs sit at the group median (goods 95.7, rents 71.9). Lewiston is above the peer median on both rents and goods. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Read the chart as text
- Lewiston (Lewiston, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 71.9
- Killeen: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 77.9
- Staunton: goods RPP 96.8, rents RPP 68.2
- Peoria: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 63.8
- Spartanburg: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 68
- Bismarck: goods RPP 95.7, rents RPP 84
- Lubbock: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 76.4
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
72.6
Cheap
Rents
71.9
Cheap
ID-relative analysis
Goods prices places Lewiston, ID-WA toward the top of ID's metros
Among the 6 ID metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Lewiston, ID-WA ranks #1 - the 83rd percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Lewiston, ID-WA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 6
83rd percentile in ID
Services prices
#1 of 6
83rd percentile in ID
Rent prices
#5 of 6
17th percentile in ID
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 ID only, not a livability score.
Other ID Metros
Boise City, ID 98.4 Coeur d'Alene, ID 98.3 Idaho Falls, ID 94.4 Twin Falls, ID * 92.1 Pocatello, ID 88.9
View all ID metros → Cheapest in ID → Most expensive in ID →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Lewiston, ID-WA's index of 91.2.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Lewiston'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.
Clarksville, TN-KY
Goods 96.2 · Services 72.5 · Rents 73.8 Twin Falls, ID *
Goods 96.2 · Services 70.0 · Rents 73.8 Oklahoma City, OK
Goods 93.8 · Services 74.1 · Rents 73.9 Baton Rouge, LA
Goods 93.7 · Services 71.2 · Rents 74.2 Tulsa, OK
Goods 93.8 · Services 73.9 · Rents 68.2 Chattanooga, TN-GA
Goods 96.0 · Services 74.2 · Rents 76.5
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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.
What this means for Lewiston
How to read Lewiston'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 $109,697 in Lewiston. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 71.9, 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 Lewiston 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 Lewiston, ID-WA?
Lewiston, ID-WA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 91.2, meaning it is 8.8% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 72.6, and rents at 71.9. It ranks #264 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Lewiston, ID-WA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $91,160 in Lewiston, ID-WA. Conversely, $100K earned in Lewiston, ID-WA has the purchasing power of $109,697 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Lewiston, ID-WA?
Rents in Lewiston, ID-WA are indexed at 71.9, which is 28.1% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Lewiston, ID-WA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Lewiston, ID-WA's overall cost index changed by -2.8 points (from 93.9 to 91.2). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Lewiston, ID-WA?
The priciest category in Lewiston, ID-WA is goods at 96.2, 3.8% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 71.9, 28.1% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Lewiston, ID-WA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Killeen-Temple, Staunton-Stuarts Draft, Peoria. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Lewiston, ID-WA's 91.2.
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.