US states by cost of living

Name: US states by cost of living, 2017
Creator: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
License: Public domain (US federal government work, citation requested)

California had the highest cost of living of 51 states in 2017, at 111 index. South Dakota had the lowest, at 87.2 index. The median was 97.1 index and the figure for the United States was 100 index. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Highest111California

Lowest87.2South Dakota

Median97.151 states

United States100History

All states, 2017

CSV Chart (SVG)

index. Source: BEA. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

Rank	States	2017 index	Change on 2016
1	California	111	+1
2	Hawaii	110.5	+0.6
3	District of Columbia	110.1	-2.3
4	New York	110	-0.1
5	New Jersey	109.3	+0.2
6	Massachusetts	107.4	-0.8
7	Connecticut	107.2	-0.2
8	Washington	107	+1.5
9	Maryland	106.8	-0.5
10	New Hampshire	105.8	+0.7
11	Alaska	104.8	+0.8
12	Colorado	102.9	+0.2
13	Rhode Island	102.4	+0.8
14	Oregon	101.5	+1.9
15	Virginia	101.2	-1.6
16	Florida	100.9	-0.2
17	Vermont	100.3	+2.1
18	Illinois	100.3	+0.8
19	Nevada	99.9	+2.7
20	Pennsylvania	99.1	+1.3
21	Utah	98.7	+1.6
22	Delaware	98.5	0
23	Arizona	97.9	-0.7
24	Maine	97.6	+0.3
25	Texas	97.4	-0.6
26	Wyoming	97.1	-0.6
27	Minnesota	96.7	-0.5
28	New Mexico	95.7	+1.3
29	Georgia	95.3	+0.3
30	Idaho	94.5	+1.5
31	Montana	94.2	+0.3
32	Wisconsin	93.5	+0.4
33	Tennessee	93	-0.8
34	North Carolina	93	-0.8
35	South Carolina	92.8	-0.8
36	Michigan	92.7	-0.9
37	Louisiana	92.4	-1.2
38	Ohio	91.9	-0.4
39	Missouri	91.7	+0.1
40	Kansas	91.6	-0.5
41	Oklahoma	90.9	-0.6
42	Indiana	90.9	-0.5
43	Alabama	90.1	-0.5
44	Kentucky	90	-0.7
45	Nebraska	89.8	-1
46	Iowa	89.2	-0.2
47	West Virginia	89	-0.8
48	North Dakota	88.7	-2.9
49	Arkansas	88.6	-0.7
50	Mississippi	87.7	-0.8
51	South Dakota	87.2	-0.1

Other periods

About this ranking

Regional price parity for all items: the average price level of goods and services in a state, including housing rents, as a percentage of the national price level (United States = 100). A value of 110 means prices are 10% above the US average.

Compares price levels across places in the same year; it is not inflation. Each year is benchmarked to that year's national average, so a change over time shows a state moving relative to the US, not prices rising.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. SARPP: regional price parities by state, all items (United States = 100). https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SARPP.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Questions

Which state has the highest cost of living?

California, with 111 index in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which state has the lowest cost of living?

South Dakota, with 87.2 index in 2017.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, SARPP: regional price parities by state, all items (United States = 100). Retrieved 2026-10-09.