2025 National Rankings & Regional Comparison
Each page uses official government data to compare living costs.
Median home values, rental prices, and housing affordability metrics.
Regional Price Parity from the Bureau of Economic Analysis — how prices compare to the national average.
How cost of living affects your real purchasing power and take-home pay.
Side-by-side comparison of living costs across states and metro areas.
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 | 0 | 95.4 |
| 3 | Arizona | 0 | 97.8 |
| 4 | Arkansas | 0 | 89.5 |
| 5 | California | 0 | 129.5 |
| 6 | Colorado | 0 | 114.1 |
| 7 | Connecticut | 0 | 119.0 |
| 8 | Delaware | 0 | 109.5 |
| 9 | Florida | 0 | 106.9 |
| 10 | Georgia | 0 | 94.7 |
| 11 | Hawaii | 0 | 134.1 |
| 12 | Idaho | 0 | 100.5 |
| 13 | Illinois | 0 | 92.4 |
| 14 | Indiana | 0 | 92.2 |
| 15 | Iowa | 0 | 90.1 |
| 16 | Kansas | 0 | 88.9 |
| 17 | Kentucky | 0 | 94.1 |
| 18 | Louisiana | 0 | 91.9 |
| 19 | Maine | 0 | 99.3 |
| 20 | Maryland | 0 | 113.1 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | 0 | 122.5 |
| 22 | Michigan | 0 | 94.0 |
| 23 | Minnesota | 0 | 95.7 |
| 24 | Mississippi | 0 | 89.3 |
| 25 | Missouri | 0 | 91.1 |
| 26 | Montana | 0 | 106.6 |
| 27 | Nebraska | 0 | 89.3 |
| 28 | Nevada | 0 | 106.2 |
| 29 | New Hampshire | 0 | 101.9 |
| 30 | New Jersey | 0 | 116.2 |
| 31 | New Mexico | 0 | 98.4 |
| 32 | New York | 0 | 108.9 |
| 33 | North Carolina | 0 | 97.3 |
| 34 | North Dakota | 0 | 90.4 |
| 35 | Ohio | 0 | 93.2 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | 0 | 88.7 |
| 37 | Oregon | 0 | 112.3 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | 0 | 94.4 |
| 39 | Rhode Island | 0 | 107.9 |
| 40 | South Carolina | 0 | 95.1 |
| 41 | South Dakota | 0 | 92.0 |
| 42 | Tennessee | 0 | 98.1 |
| 43 | Texas | 0 | 96.0 |
| 44 | Utah | 0 | 112.7 |
| 45 | Vermont | 0 | 99.7 |
| 46 | Virginia | 0 | 105.9 |
| 47 | Washington | 0 | 115.7 |
| 48 | West Virginia | 0 | 89.8 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | 0 | 95.6 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 0 | 104.1 |
Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) with the highest cost of living indices.
| Rank | Metro Area | COL Index | Affordability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 230.3 | Very Expensive | |
| 2 | 230.3 | Very Expensive | |
| 3 | 230.3 | Very Expensive | |
| 4 | 230.3 | Very Expensive | |
| 5 | 230.3 | Very Expensive | |
| 6 | 230.3 | Very Expensive | |
| 7 | 230.3 | Very Expensive | |
| 8 | 230.3 | Very Expensive | |
| 9 | 230.3 | Very Expensive | |
| 10 | 230.3 | Very Expensive |
Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) with the lowest cost of living indices.
| Rank | Metro Area | COL Index | Affordability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 80.8 | Affordable | |
| 2 | 80.8 | Affordable | |
| 3 | 80.8 | Affordable | |
| 4 | 80.8 | Affordable | |
| 5 | 80.8 | Affordable | |
| 6 | 80.8 | Affordable | |
| 7 | 80.8 | Affordable | |
| 8 | 80.8 | Affordable | |
| 9 | 80.8 | Affordable | |
| 10 | 80.8 | Affordable |
Browse cost of living data for major metropolitan areas across the United States.
Select a state above to view its metro areas and cities.
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.
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