Overall
97.5
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Longview-Kelso, WA
Cost-of-living indicators for Longview-Kelso, WA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 97.5
- Overall RPP
- #120
- of 387 metros
- 82.5
- Rents RPP
- $103K
- $100K national buys
Longview ranks #120 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Durham-Chapel Hill
The verdict
Longview costs less than 31% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 97.5, 2.5% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 82.5.
- bottom 69%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 105.0
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 98.5
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $102,517 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $97,545.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Longview's overall RPP fell -1.8 points, from 99.3 in 2023 to 97.5 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 82.9 to 98.5. 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 2013, when the index jumped 3.3 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Longview overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 98.1 |
| 2009 | 95.2 |
| 2010 | 95.6 |
| 2011 | 95.5 |
| 2012 | 92.5 |
| 2013 | 95.8 |
| 2014 | 95.2 |
| 2015 | 97.6 |
| 2016 | 96.8 |
| 2017 | 96.9 |
| 2018 | 99.3 |
| 2019 | 98.3 |
| 2020 | 100.0 |
| 2021 | 98.8 |
| 2022 | 101.4 |
| 2023 | 99.3 |
| 2024 | 97.5 |
Housing-led affordability profile
How Longview's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Longview: rents index at 82.5, 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 97.5.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Grants Pass, OR, Walla Walla, WA, York-Hanover, PA. They resemble Longview 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, Longview'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.
Longview vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
98 Top 31% higher than 69% 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
Longview cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
82.5 RPP
- Services
Services
98.5 RPP
- Overall
Overall
97.5 RPP
- Goods
Goods
105 RPP
What this shows Longview's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 82.5 depart furthest from 100, while goods sits at 105.0. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Longview's cost comes from
Metros near Longview's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Longview (Longview, this metro): goods RPP 105, rents RPP 82.5
- Durham: goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 98.9
- Dover: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 95.9
- Pensacola: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 98.8
- Charlotte: goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 97.6
- Grants Pass: goods RPP 105.3, rents RPP 79.9
- St. George: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 98.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
105.0
Above avg
Services
98.5
Below avg
Rents
82.5
Cheap
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$97,545
in Longview-Kelso, WA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$48,773
$75,000 nationally
$73,159
$125,000 nationally
$121,931
$150,000 nationally
$146,318
$200,000 nationally
$195,090
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
45/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
45th 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.
WA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Longview-Kelso, WA near the bottom of WA's metros
Among the 11 WA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Longview-Kelso, WA ranks #1 - the 9th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Longview-Kelso, WA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 11
9th percentile in WA
Services prices
#3 of 11
73rd percentile in WA
Rent prices
#10 of 11
9th percentile in WA
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 WA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Longview-Kelso, WA: 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 (97.5 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (82.5 here).
Other WA Metros
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 111.1 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA 105.6 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA 103.9 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA 103.7 Bellingham, WA 103.3 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 102.4
View all WA metros → Cheapest in WA → Most expensive in WA →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Longview'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.
Grants Pass, OR
Goods 105.3 · Services 103.6 · Rents 79.9 Walla Walla, WA
Goods 105.0 · Services 94.3 · Rents 86.6 York-Hanover, PA
Goods 100.7 · Services 107.0 · Rents 79.8 Salisbury, MD
Goods 96.6 · Services 102.8 · Rents 87.2 Reading, PA
Goods 100.7 · Services 108.2 · Rents 85.4 Vineland, NJ
Goods 99.8 · Services 108.2 · Rents 83.9
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Longview-Kelso, WA's index of 97.5.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
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.
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
What this means for Longview
How to read Longview'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 $102,517 in Longview. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 82.5, 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 Longview 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 Longview-Kelso, WA?
Longview-Kelso, WA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 97.5, meaning it is 2.5% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 105.0, services at 98.5, and rents at 82.5. It ranks #120 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Longview-Kelso, WA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $97,545 in Longview-Kelso, WA. Conversely, $100K earned in Longview-Kelso, WA has the purchasing power of $102,517 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Longview-Kelso, WA?
Rents in Longview-Kelso, WA are indexed at 82.5, which is 17.5% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Longview-Kelso, WA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Longview-Kelso, WA's overall cost index changed by -0.6 points (from 98.1 to 97.5). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Longview-Kelso, WA?
The priciest category in Longview-Kelso, WA is goods at 105.0, 5.0% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 82.5, 17.5% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Longview-Kelso, WA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Durham-Chapel Hill, Dover, Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Longview-Kelso, WA's 97.5.
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.