Cost of living rankings
Each ranking uses one official measure, shows the full list, and explains what it leaves out.
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Cost of living by state, ranked from cheapest to most expensive
Highest: California (110.7). Lowest: Arkansas (86.9).
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Cost of living by city: all 387 US metro areas ranked
Highest: San Francisco, CA (115.6). Lowest: Monroe, LA (83.6).
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Metro areas ranked by housing costs
Highest: San Jose, CA (211.9). Lowest: Johnstown, PA (42.3).
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Metro areas ranked by utility prices
Highest: Kahului, HI (190.6). Lowest: Idaho Falls, ID (69.7).
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Metro areas ranked by rent growth over five years
Highest: Abilene, TX (+74.7%). Lowest: Austin, TX (−3.4%).
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Metro areas ranked by change in home values over five years
Highest: Rockford, IL (+53.0%). Lowest: Austin, TX (−14.2%).
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Metro areas ranked by price-to-rent ratio
Highest: San Jose, CA (33.3). Lowest: Abilene, TX (9.3).
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States ranked by income adjusted for prices
Highest: District of Columbia ($81,872). Lowest: Mississippi ($48,465).
Which ranking answers your question?
- "Where is life cheapest overall?" Start with states or metro areas. These use BEA's overall price level, which covers everything an average household buys.
- "I'll be renting. Where is housing cheap?" Use the housing ranking for price levels and rent growth to see where rents are rising fastest right now.
- "Should I rent or buy?" The price-to-rent ratio shows where homes are expensive compared with rents. Home values shows which markets rose or fell over five years.
- "Where does my income go furthest?" Income adjusted for prices combines what people earn with what things cost in each state.
- "Will my power bills be high?" The utilities ranking compares electricity, gas and water prices.
Rankings show where a place stands, not why. For a move, compare the two places directly with the comparison tool, which also gives the salary you would need. All rankings leave out taxes, and every number links back to its source on the data sources page.