US states by cost of living

Name: US states by cost of living, 2020
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 2020, at 113.3 index. Mississippi had the lowest, at 85.6 index. The median was 95.3 index and the figure for the United States was 100 index. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Highest113.3Hawaii

Lowest85.6Mississippi

Median95.351 states

United States100History

All states, 2020

CSV Chart (SVG)

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

Full ranking

Rank	States	2020 index	Change on 2019
1	Hawaii	113.3	+1.5
2	California	111.9	+0.8
3	District of Columbia	110.9	+1.7
4	New Jersey	110.7	-0.5
5	New York	110.1	+0.7
6	Massachusetts	109.1	+2
7	Washington	107.9	-0.1
8	Maryland	106.4	+1.3
9	New Hampshire	105.3	+1.3
10	Connecticut	105.1	+1.2
11	Colorado	103.8	+1.3
12	Oregon	103.2	-0.6
13	Vermont	102.1	+2.5
14	Rhode Island	101.8	-0.6
15	Alaska	101.3	-1.7
16	Virginia	101	+1
17	Florida	100.6	+1
18	Illinois	100.3	+0.9
19	Arizona	99.2	+1.4
20	Texas	98.8	+0.3
21	Maine	97.9	+2.3
22	Minnesota	97.8	-1
23	Pennsylvania	97.7	-0.3
24	Nevada	97.2	-1.6
25	Delaware	96.8	-2
26	Utah	95.3	-2
27	Georgia	94.5	+0.1
28	Michigan	94.4	-0.9
29	Nebraska	92.8	+0.3
30	Wisconsin	92.7	-1.8
31	Kansas	92.3	-0.5
32	Missouri	92.2	-0.4
33	Montana	92	-2.3
34	Ohio	91.9	-1.4
35	Wyoming	91.8	-2.3
36	North Dakota	91.8	-1.4
37	New Mexico	91.8	-1.2
38	Indiana	91.8	-1.1
39	North Carolina	91.3	-0.5
40	South Dakota	91.3	-0.5
41	Louisiana	91.1	-0
42	Idaho	91	-1.4
43	South Carolina	90.9	-0.6
44	Iowa	90.6	-1.2
45	Tennessee	90.5	-0.8
46	Oklahoma	89.6	+0.3
47	Kentucky	89.1	-0.5
48	Arkansas	88.2	+0.4
49	Alabama	87.6	-0.7
50	West Virginia	87.3	-1.2
51	Mississippi	85.6	-0.9

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 113.3 index in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which state has the lowest cost of living?

Mississippi, with 85.6 index in 2020.

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.