US states by cost of living

Name: US states by cost of living, 2023
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 2023, at 112.2 index. Mississippi had the lowest, at 86.8 index. The median was 96.5 index and the figure for the United States was 100 index. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Highest112.2California

Lowest86.8Mississippi

Median96.551 states

United States100History

All states, 2023

CSV Chart (SVG)

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

Full ranking

Rank	States	2023 index	Change on 2022
1	California	112.2	-0.4
2	District of Columbia	110.7	-1.9
3	Hawaii	109.7	-1.4
4	New Jersey	108.9	+0.2
5	Washington	108.4	-1.7
6	New York	107.8	+0.3
7	Massachusetts	107.7	-1.8
8	New Hampshire	105.4	-2.5
9	Oregon	104.8	-1.8
10	Maryland	104.6	-0.3
11	Connecticut	104.2	-2.2
12	Florida	103.6	+1.4
13	Alaska	103.3	+1.2
14	Rhode Island	102.1	-2.4
15	Colorado	101.9	-0.4
16	Virginia	101.3	-0.7
17	Arizona	100.7	+0.8
18	Delaware	98.8	+0.8
19	Illinois	98.8	-2.5
20	Minnesota	98.3	+0.8
21	Maine	98	-2.8
22	Nevada	97.9	+1.5
23	Pennsylvania	97.4	+1.1
24	Vermont	97.1	-3.9
25	Texas	97.1	-0.3
26	Georgia	96.5	+0.8
27	Utah	95.7	+1.1
28	North Carolina	94.4	+0.4
29	Michigan	94.3	+0.7
30	South Carolina	93.5	+0.1
31	Wisconsin	93.2	+0.8
32	Idaho	92.2	+0.4
33	Indiana	92.1	+0.2
34	Tennessee	92.1	+0.3
35	Ohio	91.9	+0.4
36	Wyoming	91.6	-0.2
37	Missouri	91.1	+0.1
38	Montana	91	+0.8
39	New Mexico	91	+0.1
40	Nebraska	90.3	+0.4
41	Kansas	89.9	+0.3
42	Kentucky	89.9	+0.5
43	West Virginia	89.6	+0.5
44	Alabama	89.1	+1.1
45	Iowa	88.8	+0.4
46	Louisiana	88.7	-1.8
47	Oklahoma	88.7	-0.1
48	North Dakota	88.2	-0.5
49	South Dakota	88.1	+0.3
50	Arkansas	86.8	-0.1
51	Mississippi	86.8	-0.5

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 112.2 index in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which state has the lowest cost of living?

Mississippi, with 86.8 index in 2023.

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.