Overall
98.2
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT
Cost-of-living indicators for Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 98.2
- Overall RPP
- #110
- of 387 metros
- 104.1
- Rents RPP
- $102K
- $100K national buys
Provo ranks #110 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Prescott Valley-Prescott
The verdict
Provo costs less than 28% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 98.2, 1.8% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 78.6.
- bottom 72%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.4
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 78.6
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $101,800 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $98,232.
Service-cost relief profile
How Provo's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Provo: their index is 78.6, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 98.2 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Santa Fe, NM, Midland, TX, St. George, UT. They resemble Provo 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, Provo's overall index has stayed within 1.1 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.
Provo vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
98 Top 28% higher than 72% 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
Provo cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
104.1 RPP
- Services
Services
78.6 RPP
- Overall
Overall
98.2 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.4 RPP
What this shows Provo's strongest departure is services at 78.6; rents follows at 104.1. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Provo's cost comes from
Metros near Provo's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Provo (Provo, this metro): goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 104.1
- Prescott Valley: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 98.8
- Lancaster: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 93.8
- Merced: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 78.6
- Coeur d'Alene: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 105.6
- Raleigh: goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 103.5
- Sebastian: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 101.6
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.4
Below avg
Services
78.6
Cheap
Rents
104.1
Above avg
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 1.1 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index jumped 5.1 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Provo overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 97.1 |
| 2009 | 102.3 |
| 2010 | 98.9 |
| 2011 | 100.8 |
| 2012 | 100.4 |
| 2013 | 100.0 |
| 2014 | 98.1 |
| 2015 | 97.8 |
| 2016 | 97.0 |
| 2017 | 99.3 |
| 2018 | 96.7 |
| 2019 | 98.2 |
| 2020 | 94.8 |
| 2021 | 95.7 |
| 2022 | 94.9 |
| 2023 | 95.7 |
| 2024 | 98.2 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Provo's overall RPP rose +2.5 points, from 95.7 in 2023 to 98.2 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 72.8 to 78.6. 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:
$98,232
in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$49,116
$75,000 nationally
$73,674
$125,000 nationally
$122,790
$150,000 nationally
$147,348
$200,000 nationally
$196,464
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
21/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
21st 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 Provo'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.
Santa Fe, NM
Goods 96.1 · Services 76.7 · Rents 108.0 Midland, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 83.2 · Rents 101.5 St. George, UT
Goods 96.4 · Services 77.7 · Rents 98.1 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
Goods 96.2 · Services 72.0 · Rents 104.6 Coeur d'Alene, ID
Goods 96.2 · Services 70.8 · Rents 105.6 Boise City, ID
Goods 96.2 · Services 70.7 · Rents 105.6
UT-relative analysis
Goods prices places Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT toward the bottom of UT's metros
Among the 5 UT metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT ranks #1 - the 20th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 5
20th percentile in UT
Services prices
#3 of 5
40th percentile in UT
Rent prices
#3 of 5
40th percentile in UT
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 UT only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT: 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 (98.2 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (104.1 here).
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Rents 103.9 Burlington-South Burlington, VT Rents 103.8 Lexington Park, MD Rents 103.8 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Rents 104.5 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Rents 104.6 Raleigh-Cary, NC Rents 103.5 Portland-South Portland, ME Rents 105.2 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Rents 105.5
Other UT Metros
View all UT metros → Cheapest in UT → Most expensive in UT →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT's index of 98.2.
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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Take this cost snapshot with you
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What this means for Provo
How to read Provo'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 $101,800 in Provo. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 78.6, 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 Provo 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT?
Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 98.2, meaning it is 1.8% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.4, services at 78.6, and rents at 104.1. It ranks #110 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $98,232 in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT. Conversely, $100K earned in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT has the purchasing power of $101,800 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT?
Rents in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT are indexed at 104.1, which is 4.1% above the national average. This is close to the U.S. average.
Is Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT's overall cost index changed by +1.1 points (from 97.1 to 98.2). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT?
The priciest category in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT is rents at 104.1, 4.1% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 78.6, 21.4% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Prescott Valley-Prescott, Lancaster, Merced. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT's 98.2.
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.