Wealthy PotCost of Living Calculator
Compare the cost of living between any two of 387 US metro areas or 50 states and DC. See the salary you need to keep the same standard of living, with housing, utilities, goods and services compared, using official BEA price data.
How much you need to earn somewhere else
Enter your salary or household income, where you live now and where you are thinking of moving. You can pick any of the 387 metro areas or the 50 states and the District of Columbia that the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) measures. The calculator shows the income that buys the same standard of living in the new place, how far apart overall prices are, and how housing rents, utilities, goods and other services compare.
How the calculation works
BEA's regional price parities (RPPs) give each area a price level for a year, with the national average set to 100. An RPP of 110 means prices about 10% above the national average; 90 means about 10% below. To carry a salary from one place to another, multiply it by the new area's RPP and divide by the old one.
Example: Dallas-Fort Worth had an RPP of 103.1 in 2024 and New York-Newark-Jersey City 112.6. So $75,000 in Dallas buys about what $81,892 buys in New York ($75,000 × 112.563 ÷ 103.090). Housing makes most of the difference: New York's rent level was 148.6 against Dallas's 117.9.
The four categories come straight from BEA:
- Housing (rents): rents paid by tenants and the estimated rental value of owner-occupied homes. BEA estimates the price level from rents of tenant-occupied housing.
- Utilities: water supply and sanitation, electricity and gas.
- Goods: durable and nondurable consumer goods: apparel, education, food, housing, medical, recreation, transportation and other goods.
- Other services: all other services except rents: education, food, housing, medical, recreation, transportation and other services.
Cheapest states to live in
The 10 states with the lowest price levels in 2024; our guide to the cheapest states to live in adds rent, home values, income and taxes for every state. The last column shows the income that matches $75,000 at national-average prices.
| Rank | State | Price level (U.S. = 100) | Housing rents | Equal to $75,000 nationally |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas | 86.9 | 58.2 | $65,203 |
| 2 | Mississippi | 87.0 | 56.5 | $65,215 |
| 3 | Iowa | 87.8 | 65.3 | $65,822 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 87.8 | 62.8 | $65,882 |
| 5 | Louisiana | 88.2 | 63.1 | $66,155 |
| 6 | South Dakota | 88.6 | 67.6 | $66,440 |
| 7 | Alabama | 88.8 | 61.8 | $66,617 |
| 8 | North Dakota | 89.0 | 71.4 | $66,719 |
| 9 | West Virginia | 89.5 | 54.2 | $67,123 |
| 10 | Kansas | 90.1 | 71.2 | $67,551 |
Most expensive states to live in
| Rank | State | Price level (U.S. = 100) | Housing rents | Equal to $75,000 nationally |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 110.7 | 154.3 | $83,040 |
| 2 | Hawaii | 110.0 | 125.3 | $82,463 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | 109.9 | 155.0 | $82,426 |
| 4 | New Jersey | 108.8 | 134.3 | $81,604 |
| 5 | New York | 107.9 | 122.2 | $80,941 |
| 6 | Washington | 107.0 | 126.0 | $80,260 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 105.8 | 128.1 | $79,318 |
| 8 | Maryland | 105.0 | 121.1 | $78,719 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 104.2 | 114.9 | $78,124 |
| 10 | Connecticut | 103.6 | 117.0 | $77,708 |
Housing drives most of the gap. Among states, California had the highest rent level (154.3) and West Virginia the lowest (54.2); the District of Columbia was at 155.0. Goods prices vary far less from state to state.
Cost of living by state, all 50 states and DC
Full table, most expensive first
| State | All items | Housing rents | Utilities | Goods | Other services |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 110.7 | 154.3 | 158.9 | 106.1 | 102.6 |
| Hawaii | 110.0 | 125.3 | 190.2 | 111.6 | 102.9 |
| District of Columbia | 109.9 | 155.0 | 112.8 | 106.5 | 103.0 |
| New Jersey | 108.8 | 134.3 | 114.2 | 107.1 | 103.5 |
| New York | 107.9 | 122.2 | 134.4 | 107.3 | 104.1 |
| Washington | 107.0 | 126.0 | 92.9 | 104.4 | 103.9 |
| Massachusetts | 105.8 | 128.1 | 152.1 | 98.8 | 102.9 |
| Maryland | 105.0 | 121.1 | 110.9 | 102.5 | 101.6 |
| New Hampshire | 104.2 | 114.9 | 133.7 | 98.6 | 103.9 |
| Connecticut | 103.6 | 117.0 | 146.5 | 97.3 | 102.7 |
| Florida | 103.4 | 122.1 | 90.1 | 98.1 | 101.3 |
| Oregon | 103.4 | 108.6 | 107.0 | 105.3 | 100.3 |
| Colorado | 103.1 | 127.4 | 85.0 | 98.7 | 99.6 |
| Alaska | 102.4 | 93.8 | 119.0 | 106.3 | 102.2 |
| Rhode Island | 102.3 | 105.6 | 146.7 | 97.2 | 102.8 |
| Virginia | 101.1 | 106.8 | 92.2 | 100.4 | 100.2 |
| Arizona | 100.7 | 106.8 | 92.3 | 95.4 | 102.8 |
| Nevada | 100.0 | 114.1 | 90.5 | 96.3 | 98.7 |
| Illinois | 100.0 | 93.9 | 85.0 | 103.8 | 100.2 |
| Delaware | 99.8 | 102.0 | 103.8 | 96.2 | 101.2 |
| Utah | 98.9 | 107.8 | 78.7 | 96.4 | 99.0 |
| Minnesota | 98.6 | 91.3 | 90.8 | 100.5 | 100.2 |
| Vermont | 98.0 | 86.5 | 125.8 | 97.3 | 101.6 |
| Pennsylvania | 97.6 | 85.1 | 109.3 | 99.4 | 99.8 |
| Texas | 97.1 | 96.5 | 87.5 | 98.1 | 97.1 |
| Maine | 97.0 | 78.9 | 135.2 | 97.2 | 103.2 |
| Georgia | 96.3 | 88.7 | 92.8 | 98.9 | 97.3 |
| Michigan | 96.2 | 82.3 | 100.2 | 96.0 | 100.9 |
| Idaho | 95.5 | 90.0 | 70.4 | 96.3 | 99.0 |
| Montana | 94.6 | 84.6 | 72.3 | 96.0 | 98.7 |
| North Carolina | 94.3 | 81.4 | 88.6 | 96.6 | 98.2 |
| Wisconsin | 94.1 | 79.3 | 89.9 | 94.3 | 99.5 |
| South Carolina | 93.7 | 80.5 | 88.3 | 96.3 | 98.3 |
| Indiana | 93.3 | 73.9 | 85.5 | 95.5 | 99.1 |
| Ohio | 92.8 | 73.0 | 95.8 | 93.7 | 98.9 |
| Wyoming | 92.7 | 71.1 | 78.4 | 95.4 | 100.4 |
| New Mexico | 92.2 | 73.6 | 77.9 | 96.1 | 98.5 |
| Tennessee | 91.9 | 79.1 | 72.1 | 96.2 | 95.1 |
| Missouri | 90.8 | 69.9 | 79.4 | 96.3 | 95.2 |
| Kentucky | 90.2 | 64.3 | 75.3 | 96.0 | 97.3 |
| Nebraska | 90.1 | 75.2 | 75.6 | 94.1 | 93.0 |
| Kansas | 90.1 | 71.2 | 88.4 | 94.0 | 93.8 |
| West Virginia | 89.5 | 54.2 | 92.2 | 96.5 | 99.9 |
| North Dakota | 89.0 | 71.4 | 73.7 | 95.7 | 91.2 |
| Alabama | 88.8 | 61.8 | 84.6 | 96.4 | 96.7 |
| South Dakota | 88.6 | 67.6 | 79.7 | 95.5 | 91.9 |
| Louisiana | 88.2 | 63.1 | 71.5 | 93.7 | 95.7 |
| Oklahoma | 87.8 | 62.8 | 73.9 | 93.8 | 95.5 |
| Iowa | 87.8 | 65.3 | 83.3 | 93.7 | 92.9 |
| Mississippi | 87.0 | 56.5 | 78.4 | 96.2 | 96.1 |
| Arkansas | 86.9 | 58.2 | 74.7 | 93.6 | 95.3 |
Most and least expensive metro areas
| Most expensive | Price level |
|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 115.6 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 114.2 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 113.6 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 112.6 |
| Napa, CA | 112.6 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 111.9 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 111.1 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | 111.0 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 110.5 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 110.4 |
| Least expensive | Price level |
|---|---|
| Monroe, LA | 83.6 |
| Eagle Pass, TX | 83.8 |
| Dothan, AL | 83.8 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | 84.0 |
| Enid, OK | 84.3 |
| Hammond, LA | 84.5 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | 84.8 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 84.8 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | 85.1 |
| Wildwood-The Villages, FL | 85.4 |
A salary of $75,000 in Monroe buys about what $103,724 buys in San Francisco. Use the calculator for any other pair.
What this calculator does not include
- Taxes. State income tax, property tax and sales tax differ a lot and are not in the price levels. Look at the average property tax by state and your state's income tax before you decide.
- Neighborhoods. A metro area's price level is an average. Rents in a city center and an outer suburb of the same metro can differ more than the gap between two metros.
- Buying a home. The housing figure is built from rents. Home prices can be further apart; see the average home price and average rent by state.
- Pay. Wages are also higher in expensive areas. The calculator tells you what you would need, not what employers there pay.
- Timing. The figures are annual averages for 2024. Prices have kept rising everywhere since then; see the inflation calculator and the current inflation rate.
About the data
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state (SARPP) and by metropolitan statistical area (MARPP), 2024, released February 19, 2026. Metro areas follow the Office of Management and Budget delineations of July 2023. BEA data is in the public domain. We update the calculator when BEA publishes new figures; the next release is scheduled for December 10, 2026. Results compare average price levels, not your household's own costs, and are for general information only, not financial advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest state to live in?
Arkansas, where prices were 13.1% below the national average in 2024 (regional price parity 86.9), according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Mississippi (87.0), Iowa (87.8) and Oklahoma (87.8) were next.
What is the most expensive state to live in?
California, at 110.7: prices 10.7% above the national average in 2024. Hawaii (110.0) and District of Columbia (109.9) followed. Prices in California were about 27% higher than in Arkansas.
Which city has the highest cost of living?
Among the 387 metro areas BEA measures, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA had the highest price level in 2024 (115.6, or 15.6% above the national average), followed by Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA.
How much do I need to make to live in another city?
Multiply your salary by the new area's price level and divide by your current one. Moving $75,000 from Dallas to New York needs about $81,892 (103.1 vs 112.6). The calculator above does this for any pair of states or metro areas.
Where does the data come from?
The Regional Price Parities (RPPs) of the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, a federal statistical agency. The current figures are for 2024, published February 19, 2026; the next release is scheduled for December 10, 2026.
Does the calculator include taxes?
No. Regional price parities cover the prices of consumer goods and services, not income, property or sales tax differences. Two places with the same price level can leave you with different take-home pay, so check state income tax separately.
Why not use the CPI to compare cities?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says its area CPIs measure how prices change over time within one area and do not show whether living costs are higher or lower than somewhere else. Regional price parities are built for that comparison.
