Here’s the Cost of Living in Every State
The last few years have been more expensive for Americans than in decades due to severe inflation and ever-rising costs of living. People who are living on a tighter budget or who live a more frugal lifestyle may be looking to move to other states that have a cheaper cost of living.
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Some states will let you spread your dollars more than others. Using data from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, GOBankingRates determined the cost-of-living index in each state compared to the overall national average. The study included costs associated with six categories: housing, utilities, groceries, healthcare, transportation and miscellaneous expenses.
Here’s the cost of living in all 50 states, along with total annual expenditures for each.
Alabama
Total annual expenditures: $64,430
Alabama is the fourth cheapest state in America. Utilities here are actually 2.4% more expensive than in the country as a whole, but everything else is cheaper — especially housing, which costs 30% less.
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Alaska
Total annual expenditures: $91,355
The largest state in America comes with a cost of living that’s almost equally enormous — 25.2% above the national average, to be exact. Every other expenditure is well above the national average, as well, with utilities a staggering 57.9% higher.
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Arizona
Total annual expenditures: $79,096
Although it was smack in the middle of the list at No. 25 in 2017, Arizona is now among the 15 most expensive states in the U.S. The cost of living there is 8.4% higher than the country as a whole, as compared to being 4.4% lower in 2017.
Arkansas
Total annual expenditures: $64,941
Arkansas is the 7th cheapest state in America. You can expect to pay 11% less there to maintain your lifestyle than the average American. The biggest savings are in housing, where the state’s average is 25.4% lower than the rest of the country.
California
Total annual expenditures: $101,059
California is the third most expensive state in the entire country, with a cost of living that’s 38.5% higher than the national average. Everything is more expensive in the Golden State, but at an astronomical 98.8% above the national average, housing is the real whopper.
Colorado
Total annual expenditures: $76,688
In Colorado, the cost of living is 5.1% above the national average, but there are some variations in the state between the categories. Housing costs, for example, are 13.6% above average, but residents pay 9.7% less for utilities. Healthcare costs are 4% lower than average.
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Connecticut
Total annual expenditures: $82,307
Connecticut has dropped from the seventh most expensive state to 12th. In all, the cost of living is 12.8% higher there than in the rest of the country. Life is costlier than average across all categories — none more so than utilities, which comes in at 30.4% above the national mean, and housing, which is 22.6% higher.
Delaware
Total annual expenditures: $73,770
Delaware residents can expect to pay 1.1% more to live in the First State. Groceries are 2% more expensive, and miscellaneous expenses are 4.5% pricier. However, housing is 3% cheaper than the rest of the U.S.
Florida
Total annual expenditures: $73,478
In 2021, the cost of living in the Sunshine State was less than 1% lower than the rest of the country, but now it’s 0.7% higher. Only housing is higher than the national average, 6.3%, but all the other expenditures are below.
Georgia
Total annual expenditures: $66,254
Georgians enjoy a cost of living that’s 9.2% lower than the rest of the country. That makes Georgia the 11th cheapest state in the U.S. All expenses across the board are lower than the national average, with housing being almost 22% cheaper than the rest of the country.
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Hawaii
Total annual expenditures: $131,560
Hawaii holds its position as the most expensive state to live in America by a long shot for many years in a row. This year, however, island residents can expect to pay an astronomical 80.3% more than the national average overall. Most of the pain can be traced to home purchases, which cost an astounding 313% more than average.
Idaho
Total annual expenditures: $71,945
Idaho’s cost of living is 1.4% lower than the national average. Some expenditures are less expensive than average, such as housing, utilities and healthcare, but others are higher, including groceries, which are 1% above the country’s mean price, and transportation, which is 5.2% higher.
Illinois
Total annual expenditures: $67,203
Coming in at No. 16 is Illinois. Transportation is 3% higher than the national average, but the remainder of the expenses land at under the national average.
Indiana
Total annual expenditures: $66,400
Indiana comes in at No. 13 of the cheapest states in America. All expenditures fall under the national average, except utilities, which are 6.7% above. Housing is 24.2% lower than average.
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Iowa
Total annual expenditures: $65,889
The cost of living in Iowa is cheaper in every category, with housing being almost 26% cheaper than the national average. It is also the 8th cheapest state on this list.
Kansas
Total annual expenditures: $63,554
Kansas residents spend about 23% less than the average American to get by, making it the third-cheapest state in the country. Although life is cheaper across the board, housing costs are a full 32.6% lower than average.
Kentucky
Total annual expenditures: $67,130
Kentucky is No. 15 on the list, with a cost of living overall that is 8% cheaper than the rest of the country. This doesn’t translate to all of the expenses, however. While housing is 27.3% cheaper than the rest of the country, utilities are 4.4% higher and miscellaneous expenditures are 1.3% higher.
Louisiana
Total annual expenditures: $66,400
Louisiana has continued to get cheaper for the last few years. Taking its place at No. 14 on the list, cost of living is 8% cheaper than the national median. Housing is 19.4% less expensive than the national average.
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Maine
Total annual expenditures: $80,191
In Maine, the cost of living is 9.9% higher than average. Residents there have to pay steep housing costs, which are 17.4% more than the national mean. At 9.3% higher than average, miscellaneous expenses also aren’t cheap.
Maryland
Total annual expenditures: $85,007
Maryland is the sixth-most expensive state in America. The cost of living is 16.5% more expensive than the national average, thanks largely to a big housing bill that’s 46.4% higher than what the rest of the country can expect to pay.
Massachusetts
Total annual expenditures: $106,897
Massachusetts clocks in as the second-most expensive state in the country. The cost of housing is a staggering 218% higher than in the rest of the nation, and all other expenditures are also significantly higher than the rest of the country.
Michigan
Total annual expenditures: $66,108
Michiganders pay an average of 9.4% less than the average American for overall living expenses. Groceries are 1.1% above the national average, but housing is almost 23% lower than the rest of the country.
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Minnesota
Total annual expenditures: $68,662
In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Minnesotans pay not much less than the national average to live — 5.9% less, to be exact. The biggest break is housing, which costs almost 18% less. At a cost of 9.2% higher than the national average, however, healthcare is the most expensive category.
Mississippi
Total annual expenditures: $62,971
Mississippi is the second cheapest state in the U.S., with a cost of living that is 14.3% lower than the national average. Utilities are 14% less than the national average, transportation is 12.3% less and housing is a full 19.1% cheaper.
Missouri
Total annual expenditures: $64,576
Missouri, the Show-Me State, is the sixth-cheapest state in America. Housing there is 23% cheaper than the national average. All the rest of the expenses are within five to ten percentage points less than the rest of the nation.
Montana
Total annual expenditures: $75,083
The Big Sky State has an overall cost of living that’s higher than the national average — but only by 2.9%. The state stays very close to the overall national average, with transportation being 9% higher.
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Nebraska
Total annual expenditures: $66,327
In Nebraska, the cost of living is 9.1% lower than the national average, making it the 12th cheapest state in America. Every category is cheaper across the board, except for transportation, which is right at the national average.
Nevada
Total annual expenditures: $73,697
If you want to live in Nevada, it will cost you just 1% more than what the average American pays. The biggest expense is transportation, which costs 16.6% more than the national average, but housing is also 7.4% above.
New Hampshire
Total annual expenditures: $83,255
In New Hampshire, the cost of living is 14.1% higher than average. Utilities are the biggest drag — they come in a full 31% higher than in the country as a whole. At 20.2% higher than average, miscellaneous expenses aren’t cheap either.
New Jersey
Total annual expenditures: $83,109
The biggest reason why the cost of living in the Garden State is 13.9% higher than the national average is housing, which costs 35.8% more than in the country as a whole. In fact, everything is more expensive in New Jersey, except healthcare, which is less than a percentage point lower.
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New Mexico
Total annual expenditures: $68,589
With a cost of living that’s 6% lower than the national average, New Mexico is the 20th cheapest state in the country. Utilities are around 7% less expensive than average, and housing is almost 23% lower.
New York
Total annual expenditures: $91,865
In 2017, it cost more to live in New York than any other state in the contiguous U.S., not counting Washington, D.C. Here in 2024, however, New York has dropped to the fourth most expensive state. Most of the reason for the shift is due to housing, which costs 76% more than the national average.
North Carolina
Total annual expenditures: $69,538
Healthcare costs in the Tar Heel State are 4.3% above the national average, but everything else comes in just under. Everything, that is, except for healthcare, which is 9.1% higher. However, housing is 10% lower than the rest of the country.
North Dakota
Total annual expenditures: $69,027
With a cost-of-living index that’s 6.4% lower than America as a whole, North Dakota is right in the middle of this list. Healthcare costs are high — 11.2% above average — but at nearly 17% below average, housing costs are relatively forgiving.
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Ohio
Total annual expenditures: $69,100
In Ohio, the cost of living is 5.3% cheaper than the country overall. Most other expenditures are just below or just above the national average by the smallest margins — except for housing, which comes with a steep discount of 18.8%.
Oklahoma
Total annual expenditures: $62,898
Oklahoma is the cheapest state in America, with a general cost of living that’s 14.8% lower than the national average. The real savings, however, are in housing. Residents pay 31.5% less than the rest of the country.
Oregon
Total annual expenditures: $83,693
This Northwest state has a cost of living that’s 14.7% higher than the national average. Housing is shockingly high here, at 36.3% above the national average. Only utilities are below average, at 4.1% lower.
Pennsylvania
Total annual expenditures: $69,756
It’s 4.4% less expensive to live in Pennsylvania than in the country as a whole. Costs vary wildly here, with housing costs at 18.1% lower than the national average, but utilities are 7.3% higher.
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Rhode Island
Total annual expenditures: $80,774
Rhode Island is the smallest state in the country, but at 10.7% above the national average, the cost of living there is one of the biggest. This New England state is in the top 15 most expensive states.
South Carolina
Total annual expenditures: $69,538
In South Carolina, the cost of living is 4.7% lower than the national average, compared to 0.5% higher in 2017. Although housing costs 14.5% less, utilities cost 6.5% more than average.
South Dakota
Total annual expenditures: $67,422
South Dakotans pay 7.6% less than the rest of the country. Housing here is 12.9% lower than average, and all other expenditures are just below the national average, with miscellaneous costs being 6.3% lower.
Tennessee
Total annual expenditures: $65,889
Residents of the Volunteer State see a cost of living that is 9.7% lower than the national average. Tennessee is now the ninth cheapest state to live in.
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Texas
Total annual expenditures: $67,640
The overall cost of living in Texas is 7.3% lower than the national average, which puts the state in America’s 20 cheapest. Housing leads the way at 16.9% lower. Healthcare costs are 5.1% lower, and groceries cost 4.3% less. Oh yeah, and there’s no state income tax.
Utah
Total annual expenditures: $75,302
Utah’s cost of living is 3.2%% higher than the national average. Housing is almost 11% higher and transportation is 5.1% above the rest of the country. Healthcare is 9% lower, though.
Vermont
Total annual expenditures: $84,131
Vermont joins its New England neighbors with a high cost of living — 15.3% above average in this case. Housing tips the scales, costing nearly 33.1% more than the national mean price. Transportation costs 6.9% more, and utilities top the average by 20.8%.
Virginia
Total annual expenditures: $74,353
With a cost of living that’s almost 2% higher than the national average, Virginia’s expenditures are a wee bit above the national average, with housing being 5.7% higher. However, transportation is 5.2% cheaper.
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Washington
Total annual expenditures: $84,642
Washington State is 16% more expensive than the national average. The biggest burden in the pricey Northwest is housing, which costs 28.7% more than in the country as a whole. At 20.4% above average, healthcare costs aren’t much better, and transportation is 23.3% above average. Only utilities are cheaper — they cost 7.9% less than the national average.
West Virginia
Total annual expenditures: $63,992
The overall cost of living in West Virginia is 12.3% lower than the rest of the nation. All expenditures here are below the national average, in fact. The biggest break is in housing, which is 33.1% lower.
Wisconsin
Total annual expenditures: $69,392
Housing in Wisconsin costs 15.3% less than it does in the country as a whole. That’s a large part of the reason why the state’s overall cost of living is 4.9% less than the national average, even though healthcare costs 12.3% more.
Wyoming
Total annual expenditures: $67,422
The sparsely populated western state of Wyoming rose from the 16th cheapest state in 2023 to the 18th cheapest in 2024. The cost of living there, however, is still 7.6% lower than the country as a whole.
Jordan Rosenfeld contributed to the reporting of this article.
Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed the cost of living in every state across America by looking at the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center’s 2023 annual cost of living indexes and calculating the average costs using the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 Consumer Expenditure Survey across multiple factors including; (1) total annual expenditures; (2) annual grocery (“food at home”) expenditures; (3) annual housing (“shelter”) expenditures; (4) annual utilities (“utilities, fuel, and public services”) expenditures; (5) annual transportation (“”Gasoline, other fuels, and motor oil” + “other vehicle expenses”) expenditures; (6) annual healthcare expenditures; and (7) annual miscellaneous expenditures. Only factor (1) was used to determine final rankings. All data was collected and is up-to-date as-of April 18, 2024.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Here’s the Cost of Living in Every State
