Overall
87.7
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
Cost-of-living indicators for Watertown-Fort Drum, NY, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 87.7
- Overall RPP
- #344
- of 387 metros
- 53.2
- Rents RPP
- $114K
- $100K national buys
Watertown ranks #344 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 5.8 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Farmington
The verdict
Watertown costs less than 89% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 87.7, 12.3% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 53.2.
- bottom 11%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 99.7
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 132.2
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $114,038 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $87,690.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Watertown's overall RPP fell -3.3 points, from 90.9 in 2023 to 87.7 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 64.2 to 53.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 5.8 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2020, when the index dropped 4.3 points from the year before.
Watertown overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 93.5 |
| 2009 | 96.8 |
| 2010 | 96.8 |
| 2011 | 99.0 |
| 2012 | 98.8 |
| 2013 | 97.3 |
| 2014 | 97.1 |
| 2015 | 97.2 |
| 2016 | 98.4 |
| 2017 | 98.5 |
| 2018 | 96.8 |
| 2019 | 95.0 |
| 2020 | 90.7 |
| 2021 | 93.7 |
| 2022 | 93.9 |
| 2023 | 90.9 |
| 2024 | 87.7 |
Watertown vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
88 Bottom 11% higher than 11% 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
Watertown cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
53.2 RPP
- Services
Services
132.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
87.7 RPP
- Goods
Goods
99.7 RPP
What this shows Watertown's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 53.2 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 132.2. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Watertown's cost comes from
Metros near Watertown'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 96.3, rents 56.6). Watertown is driven more by goods prices than by rent, unlike its peers. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Read the chart as text
- Watertown (Watertown, this metro): goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 53.2
- Farmington: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 56.6
- Brunswick: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 56.3
- Albany: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 54.6
- Tuscaloosa: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 58.2
- Hattiesburg: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 60.1
- St. Cloud: goods RPP 95.4, rents RPP 65.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
99.7
Below avg
Services
132.2
Expensive
Rents
53.2
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Watertown's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Watertown: rents index at 53.2, 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 87.7.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Utica-Rome, NY, Lewiston-Auburn, ME, Binghamton, NY. They resemble Watertown 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, Watertown's overall index has fallen by 5.8 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.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$87,690
in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$43,845
$75,000 nationally
$65,768
$125,000 nationally
$109,613
$150,000 nationally
$131,535
$200,000 nationally
$175,380
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
95/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
95th 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.
NY-relative analysis
Goods prices places Watertown-Fort Drum, NY near the bottom of NY's metros
Among the 13 NY metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Watertown-Fort Drum, NY ranks #3 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Watertown-Fort Drum, NY only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 13
0th percentile in NY
Services prices
#7 of 13
46th percentile in NY
Rent prices
#13 of 13
0th percentile in NY
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 NY only, not a livability score.
Other NY Metros
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ 112.6 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY 109.4 Ithaca, NY 103.3 Kingston, NY 100.7 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 99.6 Rochester, NY 97.0
View all NY metros → Cheapest in NY → Most expensive in NY →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Watertown'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.
Utica-Rome, NY
Goods 99.7 · Services 131.9 · Rents 66.1 Lewiston-Auburn, ME
Goods 97.2 · Services 134.4 · Rents 69.0 Binghamton, NY
Goods 99.7 · Services 131.6 · Rents 69.7 Glens Falls, NY
Goods 99.7 · Services 133.8 · Rents 76.2 Elmira, NY
Goods 99.7 · Services 131.6 · Rents 76.4 Altoona, PA
Goods 100.7 · Services 107.7 · Rents 55.0
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Watertown-Fort Drum, NY's index of 87.7.
Shareable data card
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Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
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
What this means for Watertown
How to read Watertown'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 $114,038 in Watertown. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 53.2, 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 Watertown 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 87.7, meaning it is 12.3% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 99.7, services at 132.2, and rents at 53.2. It ranks #344 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $87,690 in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY. Conversely, $100K earned in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY has the purchasing power of $114,038 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?
Rents in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY are indexed at 53.2, which is 46.8% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Watertown-Fort Drum, NY getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Watertown-Fort Drum, NY's overall cost index changed by -5.8 points (from 93.5 to 87.7). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?
The priciest category in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY is services at 132.2, 32.2% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 53.2, 46.8% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Farmington, Brunswick-St. Simons, Albany. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Watertown-Fort Drum, NY's 87.7.
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.