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.

Zurich, Lausanne, and Geneva were ranked as the most expensive cities worldwide with indices of ************************ Almost half of the 11 most expensive cities were in Switzerland.

The average for 2021 based on 165 countries was 79.81 index points. The highest value was in Bermuda: 212.7 index points and the lowest value was in Syria: 33.25 index points. The indicator is available from 2017 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2024, the CPI in U.S. cities averaged at 313.7. However, the CPI for the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area amounted to about 334.21. Prices in New York City were significantly higher than the U.S. average. Nonetheless, the San Diego-Carlsbad area ranked first with a CPI of 373.32.The monthly inflation rate for the United States can be found here.

Annual indexes of price differences between 15 cities in all provinces and territories, as of October of the previous year, for a selection of products (goods and services) from the Consumer Price Index (CPI) purchased by consumers in each of the 15 cities. The combined city average index is 100.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for St. Louis city, MO (MWACL29510) from 2009 to 2023 about St. Louis City, MO; St. Louis; adjusted; MO; average; wages; real; and USA.

In 2023, Bangkok led among major cities in Thailand with the highest cost of living index score at nearly ** points. In that same year, Thailand's cost of living index scored **** points.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for Salt Lake County, UT (MWACL49035) from 2009 to 2023 about Salt Lake County, UT; Salt Lake City; UT; adjusted; average; wages; real; and USA.

Cost of living data based on food, housing, utilities, transportation, healthcare, and consumer discretionary spending in the United States.

This dataset contains information about the cost of living in almost 5000 cities across the world. The data were gathered by scraping Numbeo's website (https://www.numbeo.com).

Data dictionary

This table contains data on the living wage and the percent of families with incomes below the living wage for California, its counties, regions and cities/towns. Living wage is the wage needed to cover basic family expenses (basic needs budget) plus all relevant taxes; it does not include publicly provided income or housing assistance. The percent of families below the living wage was calculated using data from the Living Wage Calculator and the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. The table is part of a series of indicators in the Healthy Communities Data and Indicators Project of the Office of Health Equity. The living wage is the wage or annual income that covers the cost of the bare necessities of life for a worker and his/her family. These necessities include housing, transportation, food, childcare, health care, and payment of taxes. Low income populations and non-white race/ethnic have disproportionately lower wages, poorer housing, and higher levels of food insecurity. More information about the data table and a data dictionary can be found in the About/Attachments section.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for Richmond city, VA (MWACL51760) from 2009 to 2023 about Richmond City, VA; Richmond; adjusted; average; VA; wages; real; and USA.

Damascus in Syria was ranked as the least expensive city worldwide in 2023, with an index score of ** out of 100. The country has been marred by civil war over the last decade, hitting the country's economy hard. Other cities in the Middle East and North Africa, such as Tehran, Tripoli, and Tunis, are also present on the list. On the other hand, Singapore and Zurich were ranked the most expensive cities in the world.

Find out how Australians feel about the increasing cost of living in our latest survey, as well as the latest data from the Cost of Living Index in 2024.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for Johnson County, IA (MWACL19103) from 2009 to 2023 about Johnson County, IA; Iowa City; adjusted; IA; average; wages; real; and USA.

Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: City: Almaty data was reported at 32,029.000 KZT in Oct 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 32,475.000 KZT for Sep 2018. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: City: Almaty data is updated monthly, averaging 15,920.000 KZT from Oct 2000 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 217 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 32,640.000 KZT in Aug 2018 and a record low of 4,577.000 KZT in Oct 2000. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: City: Almaty data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kazakhstan – Table KZ.H012: Cost of Living: Average per Capita.

Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: City: Shymkent data was reported at 26,400.000 KZT in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 26,207.000 KZT for Sep 2018. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: City: Shymkent data is updated monthly, averaging 26,195.000 KZT from Jun 2018 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26,400.000 KZT in Oct 2018 and a record low of 24,740.000 KZT in Jul 2018. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: City: Shymkent data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kazakhstan – Table KZ.H012: Cost of Living: Average per Capita.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for Philadelphia County/city, PA (MWACL42101) from 2009 to 2023 about Philadelphia County/City, PA; Philadelphia; adjusted; PA; average; wages; real; and USA.

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As of mid-2024, Montevideo ranked as the second Latin American and Caribbean metropolis with the highest cost of living index. The Uruguayan capital obtained an index score of ****, only second to Port of Spain, in Trinidad and Tobago, with **** points. Monterrey and Panama City were the third and fourth most expensive cities to live in Latin America and the Caribbean that year, with scores surpassing ** points each.