State rankings

Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)

California has the highest Price Level (All Items) in 2024 (110.7), followed by Hawaii (110.0) and District of Columbia (109.9). Arkansas has the lowest (86.9).

51 of 51 states

Price Level (All Items), 2024

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
97.1
Middle half 91.3 – 102.7
Average
97.2
51 states
Lowest (best)
86.9
Arkansas
Highest (worst)
110.7
California

Over time · 2008–2024

The top 5 in 2024, against the median.

  • Median of all states
  • Arkansas
  • Mississippi
  • Iowa
  • Oklahoma
  • Louisiana

Data

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

51 states · # = rank by Price Level (All Items)
#
1Arkansas86.993.658.274.795.3
2Mississippi87.096.256.578.496.1
3Iowa87.893.765.383.392.9
4Oklahoma87.893.862.873.995.5
5Louisiana88.293.763.171.595.7
6South Dakota88.695.567.679.791.9
7Alabama88.896.461.884.696.7
8North Dakota89.095.771.473.791.2
9West Virginia89.596.554.292.299.9
10Kansas90.194.071.288.493.8
11Nebraska90.194.175.275.693.0
12Kentucky90.296.064.375.397.3
13Missouri90.896.369.979.495.2
14Tennessee91.996.279.172.195.1
15New Mexico92.296.173.677.998.5
16Wyoming92.795.471.178.4100.4
17Ohio92.893.773.095.898.9
18Indiana93.395.573.985.599.1
19South Carolina93.796.380.588.398.3
20Wisconsin94.194.379.389.999.5
21North Carolina94.396.681.488.698.2
22Montana94.696.084.672.398.7
23Idaho95.596.390.070.499.0
24Michigan96.296.082.3100.2100.9
25Georgia96.398.988.792.897.3
26Maine97.197.278.9135.2103.2
27Texas97.198.196.587.597.1
28Pennsylvania97.699.485.1109.399.8
29Vermont98.097.386.5125.8101.6
30Minnesota98.6100.591.390.8100.2
31Utah98.996.4107.878.799.0
32Delaware99.896.2102.0103.8101.2
33Illinois100.0103.893.985.0100.2
34Nevada100.096.3114.190.598.7
35Arizona100.795.4106.892.3102.8
36Virginia101.1100.4106.892.2100.2
37Rhode Island102.397.2105.6146.7102.8
38Alaska102.4106.393.8119.0102.2
39Colorado103.198.7127.485.099.6
40Oregon103.4105.3108.6107.0100.3
41Florida103.498.1122.190.1101.3
42Connecticut103.697.3117.0146.5102.7
43New Hampshire104.298.6114.9133.7103.9
44Maryland105.0102.5121.1110.9101.6
45Massachusetts105.898.8128.1152.1102.9
46Washington107.0104.4126.092.9103.9
47New York107.9107.3122.2134.4104.1
48New Jersey108.8107.1134.3114.2103.5
49District of Columbia109.9106.5155.0112.8103.0
50Hawaii110.0111.6125.3190.2102.9
51California110.7106.1154.3158.9102.6

What correlates with Price Level (All Items) (2024)?

Pearson r against 2,095 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Price Level (All Items) tend to score higher on these

  1. Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)
    r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. Cost of LivingOff-Grid Living Legal States
    r = +0.93 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Chick-fil-A Chicken SandwichFast Food Prices by State
    r = +0.93 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Livable Wage w/ No Children (Annual)Living Wage by State
    r = +0.93 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  5. Livable Wage w/ No Children (Hourly)Living Wage by State
    r = +0.93 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. Taco Bell Combo MealFast Food Prices by State
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Price Level (All Items) tend to score lower on these

  1. Walmarts per 1 Million PopulationWalmart Stores by State
    r = −0.85 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Housing CostPension-Friendly States
    r = −0.84 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot
  3. Obesity RateObesity Rate by State
    r = −0.83 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Obesity Rate 40-59Most Obese States
    r = −0.83 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Disapproval RatingBiden Approval Rating by State
    r = −0.82 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Lifestyle Habits & Health Outlook ScoreMost Unhealthy States in the U.S.
    r = −0.82 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Price Level (All Items)?
California has the highest Price Level (All Items) in 2024, at 110.7, followed by Hawaii (110.0) and District of Columbia (109.9).
Which state has the lowest Price Level (All Items)?
Arkansas has the lowest Price Level (All Items) in 2024, at 86.9.
What is the median Price Level (All Items) across US states?
The median is 97.1 across the 51 US states with data in 2024.
Where does this cost of living by state (regional price parities) data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Regional Price Parities by State and Metro Area - US Bureau of Economic Analysis.

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