Living Costs Are Just As Expensive in These 10 Cities As They Are in New York
New York City has a reputation of being one of the most expensive cities in the world — and it’s well-earned. However, the city that never sleeps is far from being the most costly even in the United States, let alone the world. In fact, as many as 10 U.S. cities have living costs that are actually even higher than in New York City, as determined by research from GOBankingRates.
These 5 Countries are Almost Inflation-less: Cheap Living with High Salaries
Learn: What To Do If You Owe Back Taxes to the IRS
To analyze the costs of cities across America, GOBankingRates started with a list from the U.S. Census American Consumer Survey and then sourced expense data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. Costs for groceries, healthcare, transportation, utilities, and miscellaneous expenses were used to determine the overall cost structure for each city. These were then compared with the same costs for New York City.
Ultimately, 10 U.S. cities showed higher overall expenses in these categories than in New York City, where the average cost of living for a single month reaches $10,251.86. Perhaps not surprisingly, seven of those cities are located in Hawaii, which is also a notoriously expensive place to live. However, three cities from the continental U.S. made the list. The list of 10 is presented below, in reverse order.
10. Honolulu, Hawaii
Monthly cost of living difference from New York: $18.24
Monthly percentage increase in costs vs. New York: 0.18%
The capital of Hawaii is the first entrant on the list, with overall expenses that just barely top those in New York City. While healthcare, transportation and miscellaneous costs are all lower than in NYC, groceries, housing and utilities all cost more.
9. Hauula, Hawaii
Monthly cost of living difference from New York: $182.42
Monthly percentage increase in costs vs. New York: 1.78%
Hauula is a small, rural community in Hawaii known for its beautiful scenery and quiet way of life. Unfortunately, it will cost you a pretty penny to take up residence there, with housing prices, utilities and groceries all costing much more than you’d pay in New York City.
Read More: The Average American Spends This Much on Rent — See How You Stack Up
8. Kapolei, Hawaii
Monthly cost of living difference from New York: $255.38
Monthly percentage increase in costs vs. New York: 2.49%
Kapolei is sometimes called the “second city” of Oahu, after Hawaii’s capital city Honolulu. But costs are even higher here, especially when it comes to transportation. Overall, it will take $126,086.98 to cover your annual costs in the resort area.
7. Rockville Centre, New York
Monthly cost of living difference from New York: $297.95
Monthly percentage increase in costs vs. New York: 2.91%
Rockville Centre is one of two cities in New York that are more costly than NYC itself. The high-end neighborhood on Long Island’s South Shore has significantly higher housing prices than New York City, and miscellaneous costs are also more expensive.
6. Paia, Hawaii
Monthly cost of living difference from New York: $449.96
Monthly percentage increase in costs vs. New York: 4.39%
Paia, or Pa’ia, to the locals, is a small community on the North Shore of Maui. It’s often a pit stop for tourists on their way to Hana. Those that stay can expect to pay for the privilege, with housing prices more than double and utilities nearly double the national average. Transportation and miscellaneous costs, however, are roughly 5-10% below the average costs in America.
5. Los Angeles, California
Monthly cost of living difference from New York: $462.12
Monthly percentage increase in costs vs. New York: 4.51%
Healthcare and utilities are actually relatively affordable in Los Angeles, running 10% and 6.3% below the national average, respectively. But housing is the key reason why the City of Angels is so expensive, with an average home price more than triple the national average.
4. Waipahu, Hawaii
Monthly cost of living difference from New York: $462.12
Monthly percentage increase in costs vs. New York: 4.51%
Waipahu is near Hawaii’s capital Honolulu and is one of the cities that wraps around Pearl Harbor. Costs in all categories are above the national averages, and groceries, housing and utilities are also much more expensive here than in New York City.
3. Mililani, Hawaii
Monthly cost of living difference from New York: $711.43
Monthly percentage increase in costs vs. New York: 6.94%
Mililani is a planned, family-friendly community of 50,000 in central Oahu. Like many Hawaiian cities, groceries, housing and utilities cost significantly more than in New York City, with housing being the biggest contributor to the city’s $131,559.50 average annual cost of living.
2. Kilauea, Hawaii
Monthly cost of living difference from New York: $723.59
Monthly percentage increase in costs vs. New York: 7.06%
Housing in Kilauea is the priciest of any city in the entire survey, with an index of 318.4 vs. New York City’s 224.3. That means you’ll pay more than three times the national average to buy a home in Kilauea. While overall costs are 80% more than the national average, healthcare, transportation and miscellaneous costs are actually below U.S. norms.
1. Cedarhurst, New York
Monthly cost of living difference from New York: $985.05
Monthly percentage increase in costs vs. New York: 9.61%
Costs are above-average across the board in Cedarhurst, which sports an overall cost-of-living index of 184.8. Overall, it will take $134,843.02 to cover your basic living expenses, vs. “just” $123,022.36 in the Big Apple.
Methodology: To find the places where living costs are just as expensive in these cities as they are in New York, GOBankingRates analyzed cities based on their cost of living indexes and compared them to the cost of living indexes from New York City. GOBankingRates used a list of cities from the US Census American Consumer Survey. For each city the cost of living indexes across grocery, healthcare, utilities, transportation, and miscellaneous expenditure categories were found and multiplied by the national average annual expenditure costs sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. This will give an annual and monthly cost for each city and using the living cost values, GOBankingRates can compare each to the cost of living costs from New York city. The cities were filtered to only show the places within 10% above or below New York City. All data was collected and is up-to-date as-of September 18th, 2023.
More From GOBankingRates
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Living Costs Are Just As Expensive in These 10 Cities As They Are in New York
