Overall
95.6
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Salisbury, MD
Cost-of-living indicators for Salisbury, MD, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 95.6
- Overall RPP
- #154
- of 387 metros
- 87.2
- Rents RPP
- $105K
- $100K national buys
Salisbury ranks #154 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Helena
The verdict
Salisbury costs less than 40% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 95.6, 4.4% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 87.2.
- bottom 60%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.6
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 102.8
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $104,584 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $95,617.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 1.8 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2010, when the index jumped 3.6 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Salisbury overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 93.8 |
| 2009 | 91.4 |
| 2010 | 95.1 |
| 2011 | 94.4 |
| 2012 | 92.8 |
| 2013 | 94.0 |
| 2014 | 95.9 |
| 2015 | 93.7 |
| 2016 | 91.4 |
| 2017 | 90.9 |
| 2018 | 94.0 |
| 2019 | 92.6 |
| 2020 | 91.0 |
| 2021 | 93.1 |
| 2022 | 94.2 |
| 2023 | 92.6 |
| 2024 | 95.6 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Salisbury's overall RPP rose +3.0 points, from 92.6 in 2023 to 95.6 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 74.5 to 87.2. 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:
$95,617
in Salisbury, MD purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$47,809
$75,000 nationally
$71,713
$125,000 nationally
$119,521
$150,000 nationally
$143,426
$200,000 nationally
$191,234
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
38/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
38th 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.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Salisbury's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Salisbury: rents index at 87.2, 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 95.6.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Reading, PA, Vineland, NJ, Kalamazoo-Portage, MI. They resemble Salisbury 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, Salisbury's overall index has stayed within 1.8 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.
Salisbury vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
96 Top 40% higher than 60% 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
Salisbury cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
87.2 RPP
- Services
Services
102.8 RPP
- Overall
Overall
95.6 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.6 RPP
What this shows Salisbury's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 87.2 depart furthest from 100, while goods sits at 96.6. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Salisbury's cost comes from
Metros near Salisbury's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Salisbury (Salisbury, this metro): goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 87.2
- Helena: goods RPP 96, rents RPP 90.1
- Albuquerque: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 89.2
- Grand Rapids: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 86.6
- Yakima: goods RPP 105, rents RPP 72.6
- Indianapolis: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 88.9
- Syracuse: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 80.7
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.6
Below avg
Services
102.8
Above avg
Rents
87.2
Cheap
MD-relative analysis
Goods prices places Salisbury, MD toward the bottom of MD's metros
Among the 4 MD metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Salisbury, MD ranks #3 - the 25th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Salisbury, MD only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 4
25th percentile in MD
Services prices
#3 of 4
25th percentile in MD
Rent prices
#3 of 4
25th percentile in MD
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 MD only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Salisbury, MD: 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 (95.6 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (87.2 here).
Other MD Metros
View all MD metros → Cheapest in MD → Most expensive in MD →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Salisbury, MD's index of 95.6.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Salisbury'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.
Reading, PA
Goods 100.7 · Services 108.2 · Rents 85.4 Vineland, NJ
Goods 99.8 · Services 108.2 · Rents 83.9 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI
Goods 93.7 · Services 99.3 · Rents 81.6 Columbus, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 95.5 · Rents 87.9 State College, PA
Goods 100.7 · Services 109.5 · Rents 85.7 Lansing-East Lansing, MI
Goods 93.7 · Services 95.5 · Rents 83.5
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.
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.
What this means for Salisbury
How to read Salisbury'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 $104,584 in Salisbury. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 87.2, 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 Salisbury 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 Salisbury, MD?
Salisbury, MD has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 95.6, meaning it is 4.4% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.6, services at 102.8, and rents at 87.2. It ranks #154 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Salisbury, MD to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $95,617 in Salisbury, MD. Conversely, $100K earned in Salisbury, MD has the purchasing power of $104,584 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Salisbury, MD?
Rents in Salisbury, MD are indexed at 87.2, which is 12.8% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Salisbury, MD getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Salisbury, MD's overall cost index changed by +1.8 points (from 93.8 to 95.6). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Salisbury, MD?
The priciest category in Salisbury, MD is services at 102.8, 2.8% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 87.2, 12.8% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Salisbury, MD?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Helena, Albuquerque, Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Salisbury, MD's 95.6.
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.