Overall
95.1
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Pittsfield, MA
Cost-of-living indicators for Pittsfield, MA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 95.1
- Overall RPP
- #165
- of 387 metros
- 73.5
- Rents RPP
- $105K
- $100K national buys
Pittsfield ranks #165 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 4.5 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to St. Louis
The verdict
Pittsfield costs less than 43% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 95.1, 4.9% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 153.7.
- bottom 57%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 97.0
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 153.7
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $105,146 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $95,106.
Pittsfield vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
95 Top 43% higher than 57% 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
Pittsfield cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
73.5 RPP
- Services
Services
153.7 RPP
- Overall
Overall
95.1 RPP
- Goods
Goods
97 RPP
What this shows Pittsfield's strongest departure is services at 153.7; rents follows at 73.5. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Pittsfield's cost comes from
Metros near Pittsfield's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Pittsfield (Pittsfield, this metro): goods RPP 97, rents RPP 73.5
- St. Louis: goods RPP 100, rents RPP 79
- Bloomington: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 85.6
- El Centro: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 66.3
- Savannah: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 86
- Lansing: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 83.5
- Ocala: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 86.2
Price Index Summary
Goods
97.0
Below avg
Services
153.7
Expensive
Rents
73.5
Cheap
Service-cost-led profile
How Pittsfield's cost structure works
Services are the defining pressure in Pittsfield: the BEA services component is 153.7, farther above the national baseline than local rents or tradable goods. That service-heavy pattern explains an overall RPP of 95.1 differently from a housing-led metro.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Springfield, MA, Merced, CA, El Centro, CA. They resemble Pittsfield 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, Pittsfield's overall index has fallen by 4.5 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.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 4.5 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2023, when the index dropped 6.5 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Pittsfield overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 99.6 |
| 2009 | 99.1 |
| 2010 | 98.4 |
| 2011 | 95.2 |
| 2012 | 97.8 |
| 2013 | 96.1 |
| 2014 | 96.7 |
| 2015 | 100.5 |
| 2016 | 100.5 |
| 2017 | 100.7 |
| 2018 | 100.4 |
| 2019 | 99.2 |
| 2020 | 99.5 |
| 2021 | 96.0 |
| 2022 | 100.1 |
| 2023 | 93.5 |
| 2024 | 95.1 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Pittsfield's overall RPP rose +1.6 points, from 93.5 in 2023 to 95.1 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 60.7 to 73.5. 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:
$95,106
in Pittsfield, MA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$47,553
$75,000 nationally
$71,330
$125,000 nationally
$118,882
$150,000 nationally
$142,659
$200,000 nationally
$190,212
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
62/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
62nd 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 Pittsfield'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.
Springfield, MA
Goods 97.0 · Services 155.0 · Rents 75.8 Merced, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 158.3 · Rents 78.6 El Centro, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 157.2 · Rents 66.3 Visalia, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 156.4 · Rents 84.1 Waterbury-Shelton, CT
Goods 97.3 · Services 147.6 · Rents 89.1 Barnstable Town, MA
Goods 97.0 · Services 158.4 · Rents 90.0
MA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Pittsfield, MA near the bottom of MA's metros
Among the 6 MA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Pittsfield, MA ranks #2 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Pittsfield, MA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 6
0th percentile in MA
Services prices
#5 of 6
17th percentile in MA
Rent prices
#6 of 6
0th percentile in MA
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 MA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Pittsfield, MA: 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 (95.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (73.5 here).
Other MA Metros
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 108.3 Worcester, MA 102.5 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA 100.2 Barnstable Town, MA 98.4 Springfield, MA 96.1
View all MA metros → Cheapest in MA → Most expensive in MA →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Pittsfield, MA's index of 95.1.
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
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What this means for Pittsfield
How to read Pittsfield'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 $105,146 in Pittsfield. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 153.7, 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 Pittsfield 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 Pittsfield, MA?
Pittsfield, MA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 95.1, meaning it is 4.9% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 97.0, services at 153.7, and rents at 73.5. It ranks #165 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Pittsfield, MA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $95,106 in Pittsfield, MA. Conversely, $100K earned in Pittsfield, MA has the purchasing power of $105,146 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Pittsfield, MA?
Rents in Pittsfield, MA are indexed at 73.5, which is 26.5% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Pittsfield, MA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Pittsfield, MA's overall cost index changed by -4.5 points (from 99.6 to 95.1). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Pittsfield, MA?
The priciest category in Pittsfield, MA is services at 153.7, 53.7% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 73.5, 26.5% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Pittsfield, MA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include St. Louis, Bloomington, El Centro. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Pittsfield, MA's 95.1.
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.