Overall
88.0
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Rocky Mount, NC
Cost-of-living indicators for Rocky Mount, NC, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 88.0
- Overall RPP
- #336
- of 387 metros
- 56.1
- Rents RPP
- $114K
- $100K national buys
Rocky Mount ranks #336 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Sumter
The verdict
Rocky Mount costs less than 87% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 88.0, 12.0% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 56.1.
- bottom 13%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.6
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 88.4
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $113,621 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $88,012.
Rocky Mount vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
88 Bottom 13% higher than 13% 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
Rocky Mount cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
56.1 RPP
- Services
Services
88.4 RPP
- Overall
Overall
88 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.6 RPP
What this shows Rocky Mount's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 56.1 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 88.4. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Rocky Mount's cost comes from
Metros near Rocky Mount's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Rocky Mount (Rocky Mount, this metro): goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 56.1
- Sumter: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 60.8
- Jefferson City: goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 62.1
- Cleveland: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 60.3
- Auburn: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 62.1
- Johnson City: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 63.2
- Mobile: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 60.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.6
Below avg
Services
88.4
Cheap
Rents
56.1
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Rocky Mount's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Rocky Mount: rents index at 56.1, 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 88.0.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Brunswick-St. Simons, GA, Albany, GA, Greenville, NC. They resemble Rocky Mount 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, Rocky Mount's overall index has stayed within 0.7 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.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$88,012
in Rocky Mount, NC purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$44,006
$75,000 nationally
$66,009
$125,000 nationally
$110,015
$150,000 nationally
$132,018
$200,000 nationally
$176,024
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
91/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
91st 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.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Rocky Mount's overall RPP fell -0.3 points, from 88.3 in 2023 to 88.0 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 51.8 to 56.1. 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 0.7 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2021, when the index jumped 3.8 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Rocky Mount overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 88.7 |
| 2009 | 88.5 |
| 2010 | 89.7 |
| 2011 | 91.2 |
| 2012 | 89.1 |
| 2013 | 89.9 |
| 2014 | 89.1 |
| 2015 | 90.7 |
| 2016 | 87.8 |
| 2017 | 89.9 |
| 2018 | 86.2 |
| 2019 | 84.0 |
| 2020 | 83.8 |
| 2021 | 87.6 |
| 2022 | 87.4 |
| 2023 | 88.3 |
| 2024 | 88.0 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Rocky Mount'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.
Brunswick-St. Simons, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 87.3 · Rents 56.3 Albany, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.3 · Rents 54.6 Greenville, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 87.3 · Rents 57.3 Goldsboro, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 87.9 · Rents 57.7 Anniston-Oxford, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 87.1 · Rents 54.7 St. Joseph, MO-KS
Goods 94.2 · Services 88.3 · Rents 55.4
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Rocky Mount, NC's index of 88.0.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
NC-relative analysis
Rent prices places Rocky Mount, NC near the bottom of NC's metros
Among the 15 NC metros PlainCost tracks with reported rent prices data, Rocky Mount, NC ranks #15 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Rocky Mount, NC only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 15
7th percentile in NC
Services prices
#8 of 15
47th percentile in NC
Rent prices
#15 of 15
0th percentile in NC
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 NC only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Rocky Mount, NC: 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 (88.0 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (56.1 here).
Other NC Metros
Raleigh-Cary, NC 98.2 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 97.6 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 97.3 Asheville, NC 96.5 Wilmington, NC 96.4 Burlington, NC 93.2
View all NC metros → Cheapest in NC → Most expensive in NC →
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.
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.
What this means for Rocky Mount
How to read Rocky Mount'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 $113,621 in Rocky Mount. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 56.1, 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 Rocky Mount 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 Rocky Mount, NC?
Rocky Mount, NC has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 88.0, meaning it is 12.0% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.6, services at 88.4, and rents at 56.1. It ranks #336 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Rocky Mount, NC to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $88,012 in Rocky Mount, NC. Conversely, $100K earned in Rocky Mount, NC has the purchasing power of $113,621 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Rocky Mount, NC?
Rents in Rocky Mount, NC are indexed at 56.1, which is 43.9% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Rocky Mount, NC getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Rocky Mount, NC's overall cost index changed by -0.7 points (from 88.7 to 88.0). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Rocky Mount, NC?
The priciest category in Rocky Mount, NC is goods at 96.6, 3.4% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 56.1, 43.9% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Rocky Mount, NC?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Sumter, Jefferson City, Cleveland. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Rocky Mount, NC's 88.0.
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.