Cost of Living Comparison: States and Cities
What life costs in two states or cities, and the salary that keeps your standard of living.
Florida → Arizona · 2024 prices
Arizona costs 2.6% less than FloridaTo live as well in Arizona as on $60,000 in Florida, you need about $58,410 a year.
- Housing (rents)
- −12.5%
- Goods
- −2.8%
- Utilities
- +2.5%
- Other services
- +1.5%
Prices: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Regional Price Parities for 2024, released February 19, 2026 (US = 100).
Arizona costs 2.6% less than Florida overall, so $60,000 in Florida buys what about $58,410 buys in Arizona. The comparison uses the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’s price levels for every state and 384 metro areas, with rents, goods, utilities and other services side by side.
How to use it
Enter your salary, where you live now and where you might move: a state, or a city’s metro area (type a few letters and pick it). The answer says how much more or less the new place costs overall, the salary that would buy the same standard of living there, and how rents, goods, utilities and other services compare. Copy the link to send the comparison to someone.
How it works
The Bureau of Economic Analysis measures how price levels differ from the national average, which it sets at 100, in its Regional Price Parities. The overall figure takes in “all the detailed consumption goods and services used in the estimation of the RPPs.” The salary that keeps your standard of living is your salary × (the new place’s parity ÷ your place’s). The figures are for 2024, released February 19, 2026.
Housing is rent. BEA: “Housing price levels are only estimated for tenant-occupied housing.” So a house price or a mortgage rate is not in the comparison, and neither are income taxes. Utilities are what BEA says: “Household utilities consist of water supply and sanitation and electricity and gas.”
Cost of living by state
All items and housing against the US average of 100, and what $60,000 at the national average comes to in each state.
| State | All items | Housing (rents) | $60,000 at the US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 88.8 | 61.8 | $53,290 |
| Alaska | 102.4 | 93.8 | $61,420 |
| Arizona | 100.7 | 106.8 | $60,410 |
| Arkansas | 86.9 | 58.2 | $52,160 |
| California | 110.7 | 154.3 | $66,430 |
| Colorado | 103.1 | 127.4 | $61,830 |
| Connecticut | 103.6 | 117.0 | $62,170 |
| Delaware | 99.8 | 102.0 | $59,880 |
| District of Columbia | 109.9 | 155.0 | $65,940 |
| Florida | 103.4 | 122.1 | $62,050 |
| Georgia | 96.3 | 88.7 | $57,780 |
| Hawaii | 110.0 | 125.3 | $65,970 |
| Idaho | 95.5 | 90.0 | $57,300 |
| Illinois | 100.0 | 93.9 | $59,970 |
| Indiana | 93.3 | 73.9 | $56,000 |
| Iowa | 87.8 | 65.3 | $52,660 |
| Kansas | 90.1 | 71.2 | $54,040 |
| Kentucky | 90.2 | 64.3 | $54,100 |
| Louisiana | 88.2 | 63.1 | $52,920 |
| Maine | 97.0 | 78.9 | $58,230 |
| Maryland | 105.0 | 121.1 | $62,980 |
| Massachusetts | 105.8 | 128.1 | $63,450 |
| Michigan | 96.2 | 82.3 | $57,730 |
| Minnesota | 98.6 | 91.3 | $59,170 |
| Mississippi | 87.0 | 56.5 | $52,170 |
| Missouri | 90.8 | 69.9 | $54,490 |
| Montana | 94.6 | 84.6 | $56,790 |
| Nebraska | 90.1 | 75.2 | $54,060 |
| Nevada | 100.0 | 114.1 | $59,990 |
| New Hampshire | 104.2 | 114.9 | $62,500 |
| New Jersey | 108.8 | 134.3 | $65,280 |
| New Mexico | 92.2 | 73.6 | $55,330 |
| New York | 107.9 | 122.2 | $64,750 |
| North Carolina | 94.3 | 81.4 | $56,600 |
| North Dakota | 89.0 | 71.4 | $53,380 |
| Ohio | 92.8 | 73.0 | $55,660 |
| Oklahoma | 87.8 | 62.8 | $52,710 |
| Oregon | 103.4 | 108.6 | $62,020 |
| Pennsylvania | 97.6 | 85.1 | $58,540 |
| Rhode Island | 102.3 | 105.6 | $61,370 |
| South Carolina | 93.7 | 80.5 | $56,250 |
| South Dakota | 88.6 | 67.6 | $53,150 |
| Tennessee | 91.9 | 79.1 | $55,120 |
| Texas | 97.1 | 96.5 | $58,230 |
| Utah | 98.9 | 107.8 | $59,320 |
| Vermont | 98.0 | 86.5 | $58,770 |
| Virginia | 101.1 | 106.8 | $60,660 |
| Washington | 107.0 | 126.0 | $64,210 |
| West Virginia | 89.5 | 54.2 | $53,700 |
| Wisconsin | 94.1 | 79.3 | $56,460 |
| Wyoming | 92.7 | 71.1 | $55,610 |
Worked examples
California to Florida on $85,000. Florida costs 6.6% less, so about $79,390 keeps the same standard of living; rents are 20.9% lower.
California to Ohio on $70,000. Ohio costs 16.2% less: about $58,650, with rents 52.7% lower.
San Francisco to Austin on $120,000. The Austin metro costs 15.2% less: about $101,800.
Common mistakes
- Comparing a city to a state. It works, but a state’s figure mixes its cities with its countryside; compare metro to metro when you know where you will live.
- Taking rent for house prices. The housing figure is rent; a home you buy costs what that market asks.
- Forgetting taxes. The price levels leave out income tax, which differs a lot from state to state.
- Reading it as your own budget. A price level is an average over everything people buy; your own spending may lean on rent, or not.
Plan the move
Read is it cheaper to live in Florida or Arizona?, is Florida cheaper than California?, Florida’s east or west coast, is Ohio a good state to move to? and the best places to live in Texas for families. Then price the drive with the road trip cost calculator and a scouting trip with the trip budget calculator.
FAQ
How do I compare the cost of living between two cities?
Pick the two metro areas above. The comparison divides one place’s price level by the other’s, from the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Regional Price Parities, and applies it to your salary.
What is the cheapest state to live in?
By BEA’s 2024 price levels, Arkansas, then Mississippi and Iowa. The most expensive are California, Hawaii and the District of Columbia.
What salary do I need to move to another city?
Your salary × (the new place’s price level ÷ your place’s). Enter both above: the answer is the salary that buys the same standard of living, before taxes.
Is it cheaper to live in Florida or Arizona?
Arizona, by 2.6% overall, mostly on rent; utilities and other services cost a little more there.
Does the cost of living include housing?
Yes, as rent: “Housing price levels are only estimated for tenant-occupied housing.” It is shown on its own, beside goods, utilities and other services.
Where does the data come from?
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Regional Price Parities by state and by metropolitan area, public government data, re-read every six months.