US states by cost of living

Name: US states by cost of living, 2019
Creator: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
License: Public domain (US federal government work, citation requested)

Hawaii had the highest cost of living of 51 states in 2019, at 111.8 index. Mississippi had the lowest, at 86.5 index. The median was 95.6 index and the figure for the United States was 100 index. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Highest111.8Hawaii

Lowest86.5Mississippi

Median95.651 states

United States100History

All states, 2019

CSV Chart (SVG)

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

Full ranking

Rank	States	2019 index	Change on 2018
1	Hawaii	111.8	+0.8
2	New Jersey	111.2	+0.2
3	California	111.1	-0.7
4	New York	109.4	-0.1
5	District of Columbia	109.2	-2.1
6	Washington	108	+0.8
7	Massachusetts	107.2	-0.3
8	Maryland	105.1	-1.2
9	New Hampshire	104	+0.5
10	Connecticut	103.9	-0.1
11	Oregon	103.8	-0.8
12	Alaska	103	-1.5
13	Colorado	102.5	+2.2
14	Rhode Island	102.4	+0.4
15	Virginia	100.1	-1.9
16	Florida	99.6	-0.7
17	Vermont	99.6	-0.6
18	Illinois	99.5	-1
19	Nevada	98.8	+2.6
20	Delaware	98.8	-0.4
21	Minnesota	98.8	-0.8
22	Texas	98.5	+0.7
23	Pennsylvania	98	-0.2
24	Arizona	97.8	+0.4
25	Utah	97.2	+1.2
26	Maine	95.6	-2
27	Michigan	95.4	+0.8
28	Wisconsin	94.5	+0.4
29	Georgia	94.4	-0.4
30	Montana	94.2	+1.8
31	Wyoming	94.1	+1.7
32	Ohio	93.3	+0.3
33	North Dakota	93.2	+2
34	New Mexico	93	+1.3
35	Indiana	92.8	0
36	Kansas	92.7	+0.3
37	Nebraska	92.5	+0.7
38	Missouri	92.5	+0.7
39	Idaho	92.4	+0.7
40	North Carolina	91.9	-1
41	South Dakota	91.8	+0.6
42	Iowa	91.8	0
43	South Carolina	91.5	-0.8
44	Tennessee	91.3	+1.6
45	Louisiana	91.2	+0.4
46	Kentucky	89.6	+0.5
47	Oklahoma	89.3	-0.3
48	West Virginia	88.5	-0.9
49	Alabama	88.3	+0.9
50	Arkansas	87.7	+0.6
51	Mississippi	86.5	+0.4

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?

Hawaii, with 111.8 index in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which state has the lowest cost of living?

Mississippi, with 86.5 index in 2019.

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.