MOVE · SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON · NOTE 18

$100K does not buy the same regional basket

BEA's 2024 regional price parities turn the same nominal salary into a price-level-adjusted comparison for California and Arkansas.

INPUT AND EVIDENCE LEDGER

Put the two cases on the same footing.

FieldValueOrigin
Nominal salary$100,000 in either stateControlled comparison
California RPP110.7BEA 2024 all-items RPP
Arkansas RPP86.9BEA 2024 all-items RPP
National level100BEA definition

DECISION READING

Read the gap, not just the winner.

The RPP layer makes a broad regional difference visible, but it cannot replace the household's actual rent, childcare, insurance, commute, and consumption pattern. MOVE should use it as context, then let entered costs drive the decision.

REPRODUCIBLE WORK

The comparison ledger.

CheckFormula or ruleResult
California adjusted amount$100,000 ÷ 110.7 × 100About $90,334
Arkansas adjusted amount$100,000 ÷ 86.9 × 100About $115,075
Adjusted gap$115,075 − $90,334About $24,741
Required California nominal$100,000 × 110.7 ÷ 86.9About $127,388 to match the broad Arkansas price-level ratio

SOURCE SNAPSHOT

The official values behind the comparison.

SENSITIVITY

Conditions that can reverse the gap.

  • Housing rents are a major RPP driver and can differ sharply within each state.
  • The latest release describes 2024, not a live 2026 household budget.
  • A household basket can diverge from the all-items regional basket.

OWNER AUTHORIZATION + VERIFICATION RECORD

One accountable operator and a reproducible check record.

The TOOOLBOX site owner authorized this publication scope and remains the correction contact. The checks below were completed during preparation with AI-assisted implementation; they are an audit record, not a claim of licensed professional review.

Review ID
TB-MOVE-18-20260902
Owner role
TOOOLBOX site owner and developer
Release scope
Owner-authorized · 2026-09-02
Correction channel
Public contact page
  1. Matched both state index values to the BEA release.
  2. Recomputed the two adjusted amounts and equivalent nominal ratio.
  3. Added year-lag and within-state limitations.

BOUNDARIES

Claims this comparison cannot support.

  • The adjusted amounts are index transformations, not take-home pay.
  • Taxes and benefits are excluded.
  • State averages do not represent every city or household.

MORE MOVE DECISION NOTES

Compare another evidence pattern.

The related notes deliberately use different questions, data states, and editorial forms.

17 · The 2026 Social Security wage-cap threshold19 · A national labor headline is not a destination verdict