Casper cost of living
Prices in the Casper, WY metro area run at 93.8 against a national average of 100, ranking it #186 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 74.2.
What drives the number
Prices in Casper run at 93.8 where the national average is 100, so about 6.2 per cent below the country as a whole. It ranks #186 of 387 metro areas. Against Wyoming as a whole it is 1.1 points more expensive, which is the usual direction: cities cost more than the states around them.
Housing is unusually cheap relative to everything else here. Rents sit at 74.2 against goods at 95.4 and other services at 78.9, so the overall figure of 93.8 understates how affordable the housing itself is. It is the opposite of the usual pattern, where housing is what makes a place expensive. Goods at 95.4 are themselves 4.6 points off national, which is a wide gap for a category that is mostly shipped in.
The number is most useful in reverse: a job here can pay less in cash and still leave a household better off, by roughly 6.2 per cent before anything else is considered.
The vertical line is the national average of 100. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, SARPP, 2024.
What the biggest local jobs are really worth
The same pay buys different amounts in different places, so a salary quoted in Casper is not comparable to one quoted elsewhere until it is divided by the local parity. These are the occupations that employ the most people here, with the quoted median alongside what that median is worth at national prices.
| Occupation | Employed | Median pay | Worth nationally | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 1,410 | $30,710 | $32,740 | $34,580 |
| General and Operations Managers | 1,180 | $96,060 | $102,409 | $102,950 |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,130 | $42,730 | $45,554 | $43,630 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,030 | $27,900 | $29,744 | $30,480 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 950 | $58,810 | $62,697 | $57,440 |
| Registered Nurses | 870 | $80,890 | $86,237 | $93,600 |
| Cashiers | 690 | $29,800 | $31,770 | $31,190 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 620 | $39,530 | $42,143 | $38,940 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 93.8.
Nearby metro areas
| Metro area | All items | Rents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheyenne | 96.5 | 89.8 | #138 |
Casper: common questions
Is Casper expensive?
Prices are 6.2% below the national average, a parity of 93.8 where the country is 100. It ranks #186 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against Wyoming as a whole it is 1.1 points more expensive.
What salary do you need in Casper?
The median worker there earns $47,640, which buys what $50,789 buys nationally once local prices are taken into account. Comparing a salary offer between cities without this adjustment is comparing nothing useful.
Is housing the reason?
Usually. Rents here are at 74.2 against goods at 95.4. Goods barely vary between American cities because most are shipped and priced nationally; housing varies enormously, and it dominates any cost of living comparison.