The California Association of Realtors (C.A.R) Traditional Housing Affordability Index (HAI) measures the percentage of households that can afford to purchase the median priced home in the state and regions of California based on traditional assumptions. C.A.R. also reports its traditional and first-time buyer indexes for regions and select counties within the state. The HAI is the most fundamental measure of housing well-being for buyers in the state.

URL, CA Association of Realtors,

This table contains data on the average cost of a market basket of nutritious food items relative to income for female-headed households with children, for California, its regions, counties, and cities/towns. The ratio uses data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Census Bureau. The table is part of a series of indicators in the Healthy Communities Data and Indicators Project of the Office of Health Equity. An adequate, nutritious diet is a necessity at all stages of life. Inadequate diets can impair intellectual performance and have been linked to more frequent school absence and poorer educational achievement in children. Nutrition also plays a significant role in causing or preventing a number of illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease, some cancers, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and anemia. At least two factors influence the affordability of food and the dietary choices of families – the cost of food and family income. The inability to afford food is a major factor in food insecurity, which has a spectrum of effects including anxiety over food sufficiency or food shortages; reduced quality or desirability of diet; and disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake. More information about the data table and a data dictionary can be found in the Attachments.

This dataset contains data on the average cost of a market basket of nutritious food items relative to income for female-headed households with children under the age of 18, for California, its regions, counties, and cities/towns. The affordability ratio uses data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Census Bureau.

West Virginia and Kansas had the lowest cost of living across all U.S. states, with composite costs being half of those found in Hawaii. This was according to a composite index that compares prices for various goods and services on a state-by-state basis. In West Virginia, the cost of living index amounted to **** — well below the national benchmark of 100. Virginia— which had an index value of ***** — was only slightly above that benchmark. Expensive places to live included Hawaii, Massachusetts, and California. Housing costs in the U.S. Housing is usually the highest expense in a household’s budget. In 2023, the average house sold for approximately ******* U.S. dollars, but house prices in the Northeast and West regions were significantly higher. Conversely, the South had some of the least expensive housing. In West Virginia, Mississippi, and Louisiana, the median price of the typical single-family home was less than ******* U.S. dollars. That makes living expenses in these states significantly lower than in states such as Hawaii and California, where housing is much pricier. What other expenses affect the cost of living? Utility costs such as electricity, natural gas, water, and internet also influence the cost of living. In Alaska, Hawaii, and Connecticut, the average monthly utility cost exceeded *** U.S. dollars. That was because of the significantly higher prices for electricity and natural gas in these states.

A novel index for estimating the expense of housing and transportation in Canada has been developed, based on the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s Housing + Transportation (H+T®) Affordability Index. By combining census data and data from other statistical programs we obtain a composite index (the H+T Index) for all aggregate dissemination areas of Canada, except for territories and First Nations.

The new housing price index and the housing affordability index

Housing costs can represent a substantial financial burden to households, especially low-income households. The median of the ratio of housing costs over income gives an indication of the financial pressure that households face from housing costs. Another common measure of housing affordability presented in this indicator is the housing cost overburden rate, which measures the proportion of households or population that spend more than 40% of their disposable income on housing costs (in line with Eurostat methodology). For a discussion of different measures of housing affordability and their advantages and limits, please see indicator HC1.5 Overview of affordable housing indicators in the OECD Affordable Housing Database. For policy measures aiming to support households with housing costs, please see indicators in the PH2, PH3 and PH4 series. Housing costs can refer to: (1) a narrow definition based on rent and mortgage costs (principal repayment and mortgage interest); or (2) a wider definition that also includes the costs of mandatory services and charges, regular maintenance and repairs, taxes and utilities, which are referred to as “total housing costs” below. Housing costs are considered as a share of household disposable income, which includes social transfers (such as housing allowances) and excludes taxes. Income is equivalised for household size based on a common equivalence elasticity (the square root of household size) which implies that a household’s economic needs increase less than proportionally with its size. Housing costs refer to the primary residence. The data presented here are based on household survey microdata and concern national household or population level data.

House prices capture the financial burden of purchasing a dwelling, and their development over time is measured by a (real) house price index. The evolution of rental prices can be monitored over time by the (real) rent price index. Alternatively, house prices can be compared to income (price-to-income ratio) as a measure of the affordability of owning a dwelling. If the price-to-income ratio is above (below) their long-term average, house prices are considered to be overvalued (undervalued). Meanwhile, the OECD database on regional house price indices shows how house price developments vary across regions and cities within countries (for further discussion, see the OECD National and Regional House Price Indices Database, as well as OECD, 2020a).