State rankings

Cost of Living Index by State

Hawaii has the highest Housing Costs Index in 2025 (304.2), followed by District of Columbia (212.2) and California (200.1). Oklahoma has the lowest (70.7).

Economics51 states · 7 metricsUpdated Oct 28, 2026Original page
1 source
51 of 51 states
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Housing Costs Index, 2025

Green is better, red is worse (lower is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Best first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
90.2
Middle half 79.6 – 119.9
Average
107.7
51 states
Lowest (best)
70.7
Oklahoma
Highest (worst)
304.2
Hawaii

Over time · 2023–2025

The top 5 in 2025, against the median.

  • Median of all states
  • Oklahoma
  • Alabama
  • West Virginia
  • Mississippi
  • Michigan

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

51 states · # = rank by Housing Costs Index
#
1Oklahoma70.795.4
2Alabama70.899.6
3West Virginia71.593.2
4Mississippi72.888.9
5Michigan74.098.3
6Iowa75.991.2
7Kansas76.198.9
8Indiana76.892.6
8Arkansas76.892.2
10Kentucky77.085.1
11Missouri78.696.1
12North Dakota78.982.1
13Nebraska79.488.7
14Georgia79.7101.0
15Texas80.8104.1
16Minnesota80.996.1
17Louisiana82.680.9
18Tennessee82.887.4
19Illinois84.199.1
20Wyoming84.693.5
21South Carolina85.397.7
22Ohio86.697.6
23Pennsylvania87.6107.4
24South Dakota87.785.1
25New Mexico88.393.5
26Montana90.281.5
27North Carolina93.796.0
28Wisconsin95.089.7
29Delaware98.398.8
30Idaho99.975.1
31Virginia104.199.1
32Florida106.099.0
33Colorado108.788.7
34Nevada109.594.1
35Rhode Island113.5136.4
36Utah114.089.4
37New Hampshire117.7117.3
38Alaska119.7156.8
39Connecticut120.0136.4
40Washington125.795.2
41Arizona128.2106.3
42Vermont129.9113.3
43Oregon131.592.6
44Maine133.8115.2
45Maryland135.8113.0
46New Jersey141.2101.5
47New York174.6100.1
48Massachusetts196.2153.2
49California200.1142.0
50District of Columbia212.2101.3
51Hawaii304.2204.4

What correlates with Housing Costs Index (2025)?

Pearson r against 2,069 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states, 2 near-identical series hidden. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Housing Costs Index tend to score higher on these

  1. COLI Overall IndexLeast Expensive States
    r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. Annual Cost Of Comfortable RetirementAverage Retirement Income by State
    r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  3. Taxpayer Cost per ImmigrantCost of Illegal Immigration by State
    r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Average Cost for Basic Life SupportAmbulance Cost by State
    r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  5. Average Cost for Advanced Life SupportAmbulance Cost by State
    r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. Avg. Home PriceStates with No Property Tax
    r = +0.90 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Housing Costs Index tend to score lower on these

  1. Cost of LivingPension-Friendly States
    r = −0.85 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot
  2. Housing CostPension-Friendly States
    r = −0.83 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot
  3. Obesity Rate 60+Most Obese States
    r = −0.77 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Obesity Rate - WhiteMost Obese States
    r = −0.77 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Obesity RateObesity Rate by State
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Lifestyle Habits & Health Outlook ScoreMost Unhealthy States in the U.S.
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Housing Costs Index?
Hawaii has the highest Housing Costs Index in 2025, at 304.2, followed by District of Columbia (212.2) and California (200.1).
Which state has the lowest Housing Costs Index?
Oklahoma has the lowest Housing Costs Index in 2025, at 70.7.
What is the median Housing Costs Index across US states?
The median is 90.2 across the 51 US states with data in 2025.
Where does this cost of living index by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Cost of Living Data Series - Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. Last updated 2026-10-28.