Overall
96.0
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI
Cost-of-living indicators for Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 96.0
- Overall RPP
- #147
- of 387 metros
- 92.0
- Rents RPP
- $104K
- $100K national buys
Racine ranks #147 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Vineland
The verdict
Racine costs less than 38% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 96.0, 4.0% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 90.0.
- bottom 62%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.8
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 90.0
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $104,209 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $95,961.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$95,961
in Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$47,981
$75,000 nationally
$71,971
$125,000 nationally
$119,951
$150,000 nationally
$143,942
$200,000 nationally
$191,922
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
33/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
33rd 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 remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.4 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 4.8 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Racine overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 96.3 |
| 2009 | 96.4 |
| 2010 | 94.6 |
| 2011 | 93.6 |
| 2012 | 94.4 |
| 2013 | 95.2 |
| 2014 | 95.4 |
| 2015 | 96.8 |
| 2016 | 94.6 |
| 2017 | 98.5 |
| 2018 | 93.7 |
| 2019 | 94.2 |
| 2020 | 93.9 |
| 2021 | 92.2 |
| 2022 | 90.9 |
| 2023 | 95.2 |
| 2024 | 96.0 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Racine's overall RPP rose +0.8 points, from 95.2 in 2023 to 96.0 in 2024. The largest category movement was overall cost, changing from 95.2 to 96.0. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Service-cost relief profile
How Racine's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Racine: their index is 90.0, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 96.0 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Kankakee, IL, Tucson, AZ, Gainesville, GA. They resemble Racine 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, Racine's overall index has stayed within 0.4 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.
Racine vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
96 Top 38% higher than 62% 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
Racine cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
92 RPP
- Services
Services
90 RPP
- Overall
Overall
96 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.8 RPP
What this shows Racine's strongest departure is services at 90.0; rents follows at 92.0. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Racine's cost comes from
Metros near Racine'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 97, rents 83.9). Racine is skewed toward housing costs relative to its peer group. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Read the chart as text
- Racine (Racine, this metro): goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 92
- Vineland: goods RPP 99.8, rents RPP 83.9
- Logan: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 91
- York: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 79.8
- Springfield: goods RPP 97, rents RPP 75.8
- Buffalo: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 81
- Midland: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 101.5
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.8
Below avg
Services
90.0
Below avg
Rents
92.0
Below avg
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI's index of 96.0.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Racine'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.
Kankakee, IL
Goods 93.6 · Services 89.4 · Rents 92.9 Tucson, AZ
Goods 96.2 · Services 89.5 · Rents 91.8 Gainesville, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 89.6 · Rents 93.5 Gainesville, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 88.2 · Rents 93.0 Asheville, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 88.6 · Rents 93.4 Winchester, VA-WV
Goods 96.7 · Services 89.7 · Rents 90.0
WI-relative analysis
Goods prices places Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI near the bottom of WI's metros
Among the 13 WI metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI ranks #3 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 13
0th percentile in WI
Services prices
#8 of 13
38th percentile in WI
Rent prices
#4 of 13
69th percentile in WI
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 WI only, not a livability score.
Other WI Metros
Kenosha, WI 101.1 Madison, WI 97.3 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI 96.9 Sheboygan, WI 94.0 Janesville-Beloit, WI 93.7 Green Bay, WI 93.1
View all WI metros → Cheapest in WI → Most expensive in WI →
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
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Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Racine
How to read Racine'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 $104,209 in Racine. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 90.0, 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 Racine 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 Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI?
Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 96.0, meaning it is 4.0% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.8, services at 90.0, and rents at 92.0. It ranks #147 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $95,961 in Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI. Conversely, $100K earned in Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI has the purchasing power of $104,209 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI?
Rents in Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI are indexed at 92.0, which is 8.0% below the national average. This is close to the U.S. average.
Is Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI's overall cost index changed by -0.4 points (from 96.3 to 96.0). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI?
The priciest category in Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI is goods at 93.8, 6.2% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is services at 90.0, 10.0% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Vineland, Logan, York-Hanover. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI's 96.0.
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.