Cost of Living in America

Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:

2025 National Rankings & Regional Comparison

National Overview

States Covered

50

Metro Areas

380+

Cities

1,000+

Data Year

2025

What's in Every Cost of Living Page

Each page uses official government data to compare living costs.

🏠 Housing Costs

Median home values, rental prices, and housing affordability metrics.

📊 Price Index (RPP)

Regional Price Parity from the Bureau of Economic Analysis — how prices compare to the national average.

💵 Salary Impact

How cost of living affects your real purchasing power and take-home pay.

⚖ State Comparisons

Side-by-side comparison of living costs across states and metro areas.

Cost of Living Index by State

Compare cost of living across all 50 states. Click any state for city-level details.

Click for full breakdown →
AK AL AR AZ CA CO FL GA HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NM NV NY OH OK OR PA SC SD TN TX UT VA WA WI WV WY VT NH MA RI CT NJ DE MD DC
88.7
134.1

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS 2025 Annual

AL 92.0 AK 95.4 AZ 97.8 AR 89.5 CA 129.5 CO 114.1 CT 119.0 DE 109.5 FL 106.9 GA 94.7 HI 134.1 ID 100.5 IL 92.4 IN 92.2 IA 90.1 KS 88.9 KY 94.1 LA 91.9 ME 99.3 MD 113.1 MA 122.5 MI 94.0 MN 95.7 MS 89.3 MO 91.1 MT 106.6 NE 89.3 NV 106.2 NH 101.9 NJ 116.2 NM 98.4 NY 108.9 NC 97.3 ND 90.4 OH 93.2 OK 88.7 OR 112.3 PA 94.4 RI 107.9 SC 95.1 SD 92.0 TN 98.1 TX 96.0 UT 112.7 VT 99.7 VA 105.9 WA 115.7 WV 89.8 WI 95.6 WY 104.1
💰

Want to See How COL Affects Your Salary?

Explore 800+ jobs with salaries adjusted for regional price differences across all 50 states.

COL-Adjusted Salaries →

All States Ranked by Cost of Living

Compare Regional Price Parity (RPP) indices across all 50 states. An index of 100 represents the US national average.

Rank State RPP Index Avg COL
1 Alabama 0 92.0
2 Alaska 103.3 95.4
3 Arizona 0 97.8
4 Arkansas 0 89.5
5 California 0 129.5
6 Colorado 0 114.1
7 Connecticut 104.2 119.0
8 Delaware 0 109.5
9 Florida 0 106.9
10 Georgia 96.5 94.7
11 Hawaii 109.7 134.1
12 Idaho 92.2 100.5
13 Illinois 98.8 92.4
14 Indiana 92.1 92.2
15 Iowa 0 90.1
16 Kansas 89.9 88.9
17 Kentucky 89.9 94.1
18 Louisiana 88.7 91.9
19 Maine 0 99.3
20 Maryland 104.6 113.1
21 Massachusetts 107.7 122.5
22 Michigan 94.3 94.0
23 Minnesota 98.3 95.7
24 Mississippi 86.8 89.3
25 Missouri 91.1 91.1
26 Montana 91.0 106.6
27 Nebraska 90.3 89.3
28 Nevada 97.9 106.2
29 New Hampshire 105.4 101.9
30 New Jersey 108.9 116.2
31 New Mexico 0 98.4
32 New York 107.8 108.9
33 North Carolina 94.4 97.3
34 North Dakota 88.2 90.4
35 Ohio 91.9 93.2
36 Oklahoma 88.7 88.7
37 Oregon 104.8 112.3
38 Pennsylvania 97.4 94.4
39 Rhode Island 102.1 107.9
40 South Carolina 93.5 95.1
41 South Dakota 88.1 92.0
42 Tennessee 92.1 98.1
43 Texas 97.1 96.0
44 Utah 95.7 112.7
45 Vermont 97.1 99.7
46 Virginia 101.3 105.9
47 Washington 108.4 115.7
48 West Virginia 89.6 89.8
49 Wisconsin 93.2 95.6
50 Wyoming 91.6 104.1

Browse by State

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

Top 10 Most Expensive Metros

Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) with the highest cost of living indices.

Rank Metro Area COL Index Affordability
1 Paradise Valley, AZ 230.3 Very Expensive
2 Alamo CDP, CA 230.3 Very Expensive
3 Alto CDP, CA 230.3 Very Expensive
4 Atherton, CA 230.3 Very Expensive
5 Baywood Park CDP, CA 230.3 Very Expensive
6 Bell Canyon CDP, CA 230.3 Very Expensive
7 Belmont, CA 230.3 Very Expensive
8 Beverly Hills, CA 230.3 Very Expensive
9 Burlingame, CA 230.3 Very Expensive
10 Cambrian Park CDP, CA 230.3 Very Expensive

Top 10 Most Affordable Metros

Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) with the lowest cost of living indices.

Rank Metro Area COL Index Affordability
1 Purple Sage CDP, WY 80.8 Affordable
2 Realitos CDP, TX 80.8 Affordable
3 Alfred CDP, TX 80.8 Affordable
4 White Rock, SD 80.8 Affordable
5 Stidham, OK 80.8 Affordable
6 Ai CDP, OH 80.8 Affordable
7 JAARS CDP, NC 80.8 Affordable
8 Tecolotito CDP, NM 80.8 Affordable
9 Alamo CDP, NM 80.8 Affordable
10 La Due, MO 80.8 Affordable

Metro Areas by Region

Browse cost of living data for major metropolitan areas across the United States.

Select a state above to view its metro areas and cities.

About This Data

Cost of living comparisons are based on three primary data sources:

The composite COL Index uses 100 as the US national average. Values above 100 indicate higher costs; below 100 indicate lower costs.

Related Salary Tools

COL-Adjusted Salaries by State After-Tax Take-Home Pay Highest Paying Jobs by State All Salary Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good cost of living index?
An index below 100 means lower cost of living than the US average. Most affordable cities have indices in the 70-90 range.
How is cost of living calculated?
We combine Regional Price Parity (50%), rental market data (30%), and housing values (20%) for a comprehensive index.
Where can I find the cheapest places to live?
See the 'Most Affordable' tab for top metros, or browse by state to compare cities within your target region.

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