Cost of Living by State
Compare cost of living across all 50 states using official BEA Regional Price Parity data.
| # | State | Overall | Goods | Housing | Utilities | Other |
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This tool is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional financial, medical, legal, or engineering advice. See Terms of Service.
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This tool shows the cost of living for all 50 US states and DC, using data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Here is how to use it:
- Browse the table. By default, states are sorted by overall cost of living, cheapest first. The national average is 100: states below 100 are cheaper than average, states above 100 are more expensive.
- Sort by category. Click any column header or use the dropdown to sort by a specific category: goods, housing, utilities, or other services. Housing typically shows the widest variation between states.
- Search. Type a state name in the search box to filter the table.
- Toggle sort order. Click the sort order button to switch between cheapest first and most expensive first.
The index values are Regional Price Parities (RPPs). A state with an RPP of 90 is 10% cheaper than the national average. A state at 115 is 15% more expensive. Compare any two states by looking at the ratio of their indices.
About Cost of Living by State
State-level cost of living differences are driven primarily by housing costs. States like Mississippi, Arkansas, and West Virginia have overall RPPs 13-14% below the national average, largely because housing costs are 40-42% below average. Meanwhile, Hawaii, California, Massachusetts, and New York have overall RPPs 13-22% above average, with housing costs 50-68% above the national average.
Why This Matters
A $75,000 salary buys very different lifestyles depending on where you live. In Mississippi (RPP 85.8), that salary has the purchasing power of roughly $87,400 in national-average terms. In Hawaii (RPP 121.3), the same salary is worth about $61,800. Understanding state-level cost differences is essential for evaluating job offers, planning relocations, and comparing retirement destinations. These indices are from the BEA, which bases them on actual price surveys rather than crowdsourced data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest state to live in?
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities, Mississippi has the lowest overall cost of living at 85.8 (about 14% below the national average). Other affordable states include West Virginia (86.4), Arkansas (86.9), Alabama (87.9), and Oklahoma (88.6). The biggest factor is housing: Mississippi's housing index is 57.8, meaning housing costs are 42% below the national average.
What is the most expensive state to live in?
Hawaii has the highest overall cost of living at 121.3 (about 21% above the national average), driven by high housing (163.8) and utility costs (157.4). Other expensive states include New York (115.8), Massachusetts (114.8), California (113.2), and New Jersey (113.4). The District of Columbia (118.4) is also among the most expensive.
What does the index number mean?
The index is a Regional Price Parity (RPP) where 100 equals the national average. An index of 90 means prices are 10% below the national average. An index of 115 means prices are 15% above average. You can compare any two states by dividing their indices. For example, if State A is 110 and State B is 90, then State A is about 22% more expensive than State B (110/90 = 1.22).
Why is housing the biggest cost difference between states?
Housing is a local market driven by land costs, zoning, construction costs, and demand. A house in San Francisco costs 5-10x more than a similar house in rural Mississippi. By contrast, goods like food and electronics are nationally distributed with relatively uniform pricing. Utilities also vary but are moderated by regulation. Housing alone can account for 60-80% of the total cost-of-living difference between the cheapest and most expensive states.