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Cost of Living by State with detailed u.s. maps
When economists talk about The Cost Of Living By State, they are usually referring to how much it costs to live in one state, as compared to how much it costs to live in another state.
Necessities like food, housing, utilities and transportation expenses are all considered when actuaries perform Cost of Living calculations.
The numbers shown below indicate a state's ranking, as compared to other states, in terms of cost of living (COL) during the years 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2020.
Lower numbers are better for cost of living.
The Cost Of Living By State is generally measured in terms of the average price paid for housing, utilities, groceries, healthcare, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses. This average is then adjusted according to the prices of products and services in the area.
The Cost Of Living By State data shown below is compiled from collected stats found in the Federal Cost of Living Index at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, World Population Review, and various official economic websites pertaining to each individual state.
For the purpose of understanding this type of list, the national average cost of living is fixed at 100. So, you can't tell exactly how much it costs to live somewhere, but these figures say something about the cost of living by state, as we can see how far states deviate from the national average, and from one another.
States are listed alphabetically on this page. As is often the case, Hawaii currently has the highest cost of living by state. Mississippi, the lowest.
Below the data are several maps providing visual representations of the approximate cost of living by state for each US state.
For more cost of living by state demographics and other economic info, visit any of the links shown on this page.
international cost of living data
US Cost of Living by State
STATE (2013) (2014) (2017) (2020)
Alabama 92.4 92.0 90.6 89.3
Alaska 131.1 133.2 131.5 129.9
Arizona 100.8 100.3 96.6 97.0
Arkansas 91.0 92.5 87.9 86.9
California 128.6 131.9 136.3 151.7
Colorado 99.7 101.9 101.6 105.6
Connecticut 133.8 145.9 129.1 127.7
Delaware 106.9 103.7 102.5 108.1
Florida 97.8 99.3 100.4 97.9
Georgia 92.0 94.4 90.0 89.2
Hawaii 161.7 163.8 187.7 192.9
Idaho 89.4 90.7 90.8 92.3
Illinois 94.9 96.1 97.1 94.5
Indiana 90.0 89.9 90.6 90.0
Iowa 91.3 92.8 92.3 90.1
Kansas 91.8 92.7 91.1 89.0
Kentucky 90.1 92.3 94.6 90.9
Louisiana 94.2 94.7 93.8 93.9
Maine 109.0 111.6 115.0 117.5
Maryland 122.3 116.6 129.1 129.7
Massachusetts 121.2 124.7 129.4 131.6
Michigan 94.4 91.7 89.5 88.9
Minnesota 100.9 101.2 99.7 101.6
Mississippi 88.7 87.6 85.0 86.1
Missouri 92.9 93.1 90.1 87.1
Montana 98.4 102.1 98.0 106.9
Nebraska 88.9 92.4 93.9 90.8
Nevada 94.9 103.7 101.6 108.5
New Hampshire 120.2 116.6 118.0 109.7
New Jersey 129.5 125.4 121.2 125.1
New Mexico 92.5 92.6 96.2 87.5
New York 134.5 131.6 131.1 139.1
North Carolina 95.6 96.5 94.5 94.9
North Dakota 99.7 99.8 99.3 98.8
Ohio 92.3 94.4 92.7 90.8
Oklahoma 90.0 92.1 89.1 87.0
Oregon 106.9 124.9 127.3 134.2
Pennsylvania 101.1 102.1 102.1 101.7
Rhode Island 125.8 123.3 123.2 119.4
South Carolina 95.0 95.2 100.5 95.9
South Dakota 99.7 101.5 100.2 99.8
Tennessee 89.7 89.4 89.7 88.7
Texas 91.4 92.9 90.4 91.5
Utah 93.0 92.3 94.0 98.4
Vermont 118.3 120.3 120.7 114.5
Virginia 95.9 95.8 101.7 100.7
Washington 101.6 103.6 106.1 110.7
West Virginia 96.6 102.0 95.3 91.1
Wisconsin 95.1 97.3 96.4 97.3
Wyoming 99.5 94.4 94.7 89.3
Shown below: A map showing the approximate cost of living by state (high, medium, or low)
image credit: time.com
Shown below: Another, more detailed U.S. Cost of Living map. This one provides state rankings.
image: charlestondaily.net
Shown below: Another cost map showing the salary required to buy an average priced home in every state.
image credit: fatherly.com
useful links
Click here for more information on the Cost of Living by State.
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