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 84.8 - well below the national benchmark of 100. Nevada - which had an index value of 100.1 - 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 427,000 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 200,000 U.S. dollars. That makes living costs in these states significantly lower than in states such as Hawaii and California, where housing is much more expensive. 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 500 U.S. dollars. That was because of the significantly higher prices for electricity and natural gas in these states.

This statistic shows a ranking of the most affordable colleges in the United States as of 2012. To calculate the ranking the Daily Beast considered average student debt, total cost for tuition and general living expenses, average amount of financial aid received by students and average income earned by graduates in their future careers. In this graphic the average in-state attendance cost is depicted. At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the university ranked as the most affordable, total attendance cost is on average 55,270 U.S. dollars.

146,9 (Index, higher means higher cost of living) in 2024Q3.

Morocco Living Cost Index: Casablanca: Recreation and Culture data was reported at 188.000 1989=100 in Oct 2009. This records an increase from the previous number of 187.800 1989=100 for Sep 2009. Morocco Living Cost Index: Casablanca: Recreation and Culture data is updated monthly, averaging 179.950 1989=100 from Jan 2003 (Median) to Oct 2009, with 82 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 188.000 1989=100 in Oct 2009 and a record low of 171.500 1989=100 in Mar 2003. Morocco Living Cost Index: Casablanca: Recreation and Culture data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by High Commission for Planning. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Morocco – Table MA.I008: Living Cost Index: 1989=100: by Region.

Mastercard reported $3.55B in Operating Expenses for its fiscal quarter ending in December of 2024. Data for Mastercard | MA - Operating Expenses including historical, tables and charts were last updated by Trading Economics this last March in 2025.

Morocco Living Cost Index: Rabat: Health data was reported at 156.400 1989=100 in Oct 2009. This stayed constant from the previous number of 156.400 1989=100 for Sep 2009. Morocco Living Cost Index: Rabat: Health data is updated monthly, averaging 155.400 1989=100 from Jan 2003 (Median) to Oct 2009, with 82 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 156.400 1989=100 in Oct 2009 and a record low of 150.000 1989=100 in Jan 2003. Morocco Living Cost Index: Rabat: Health data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by High Commission for Planning. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Morocco – Table MA.I008: Living Cost Index: 1989=100: by Region.

The median rent for one- and two-bedroom apartments in Boston, Massachusetts, amounted to about 2,302 U.S. dollars by the end of 2023. Rents decreased slightly after the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic,this trend reversed in 2021 and as of December 2023, the annual rental growth stood at 3.32 percent. Among the different states in the U.S., Massachusetts ranks as one of the most expensive rental markets.

Morocco Living Cost Index: Marrakech: Recreation and Culture data was reported at 203.100 1989=100 in Oct 2009. This stayed constant from the previous number of 203.100 1989=100 for Sep 2009. Morocco Living Cost Index: Marrakech: Recreation and Culture data is updated monthly, averaging 190.400 1989=100 from Jan 2003 (Median) to Oct 2009, with 82 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 203.100 1989=100 in Oct 2009 and a record low of 172.800 1989=100 in Aug 2003. Morocco Living Cost Index: Marrakech: Recreation and Culture data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by High Commission for Planning. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Morocco – Table MA.I008: Living Cost Index: 1989=100: by Region.

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Morocco Living Cost Index: Tanger: Food data was reported at 211.300 1989=100 in Oct 2009. This records a decrease from the previous number of 215.500 1989=100 for Sep 2009. Morocco Living Cost Index: Tanger: Food data is updated monthly, averaging 181.300 1989=100 from Jan 2003 (Median) to Oct 2009, with 82 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 215.500 1989=100 in Sep 2009 and a record low of 165.300 1989=100 in Mar 2003. Morocco Living Cost Index: Tanger: Food data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by High Commission for Planning. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Morocco – Table MA.I008: Living Cost Index: 1989=100: by Region.

In 2024, households in California needed an hourly wage of over 47 U.S. dollars to afford the rent of a two-bedroom apartment. Massachusetts had the second-least affordable two-bedroom apartments, as a household would have to earn at least around 45 U.S. dollars per hour in order to afford rent payments. These figures are considerably higher than the average minimum wage in place in many states. There was no state in which a minimum wage worker could afford rent for the average two-bedroom apartment, if they only worked 40 hours a week. Where are the least affordable counties and metros? The least affordable rents were predominately in Californian counties and metropolitan areas in 2024. District of Columbia has one of the highest minimum wages in the country, which stood at 17 U.S. dollars per hour as of January 2024. Thus, the affordability of two-bedroom apartments highlights how disproportionately high housing costs are in the state.

Hawaii is the state with the highest household electricity price in the United States. In September 2024, the average retail price of electricity for Hawaiian residences amounted to 41.27 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour. California followed in second, with 30.221 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour. Meanwhile, Utah registered the lowest price in the period, at around 11.4 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour. Why is electricity so expensive in Hawaii? Fossil fuels, and specifically oil, account for approximately 80 percent of Hawaii’s electricity mix, so the electricity price in this state can be roughly brought down to the price of oil in the country. Oil was by far the most expensive fossil fuel used for electricity generation in the country. As Hawaii depends on oil imports, the cost of transportation and infrastructure must be added to the oil price. Electricity prices worldwide The U.S. retail price for electricity increased almost every year since 1990. In 2023, it stood at 12.7 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour, almost double the charge put on electricity back in 1990. However, household electricity prices are around 25 U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hour lower in the U.S. when compared to European countries reliant on energy imports, such as Germany and Italy.

In District of Columbia, the average rent per square foot was 2.95 U.S. dollars in 2018, whereas renters in Oregon were expected to pay half as much in rent per square foot. DC was the most expensive state for renters, followed by New York, Hawaii, Massachusetts and California.

Why is DC so expensive?

District of Columbia is the center of the U.S. political system with all three branches of federal government sitting there: Congress (legislative), President (executive) and the Supreme Court (judicial). The above average household incomes of its residents mean that high rents are still sustainable for the rental market.

Limited space in DC

DC has the largest share of apartment dwellers in the country. This is most likely due to limited space, as the federal district has a much higher population density than the states. The political importance of DC and the high population density suggest that the federal district is likely to retain its spot as the most expensive rental market in the future.

The average price per square foot of floor space in new single-family housing in the United States decreased after the great financial crisis, followed by several years of stagnation. Since 2012, the price has continuously risen, hitting 168 U.S. dollars per square foot in 2022. In 2024, the average sales price of a new home exceeded 500,000 U.S. dollars. Development of house sales in the U.S. One of the reasons for rising property prices is the gradual growth of house sales between 2011 and 2020. This period was marked by the gradual recovery following the subprime mortgage crisis and a growing housing sentiment. Another significant factor for the housing demand was the growing number of new household formations each year. Despite this trend, housing transactions plummeted in 2021, amid soaring prices and borrowing costs. In 2021, the average construction cost for single-family housing rose by nearly 12 percent year-on-year, and in 2022, the increase was even higher, at close to 17 percent. Financing a house purchase Mortgage interest rates in the U.S. rose dramatically in 2022 and remained elevated until 2024. In 2020, a homebuyer could lock in a 30-year fixed interest rate of under three percent, whereas in 2024, the average rate for the same mortgage type was more than twice higher. That has led to a decline in homebuyer sentiment, and an increasing share of the population pessimistic about buying a home in the current market.

House prices grew year-on-year in most states in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2024. The District of Columbia was the only exception, with a decline of three percent. The annual appreciation for single-family housing in the U.S. was 0.71 percent, while in Hawaii—the state where homes appreciated the most—the increase exceeded 10 percent. How have home prices developed in recent years? House price growth in the U.S. has been going strong for years. In 2024, the median sales price of a single-family home exceeded 413,000 U.S. dollars, up from 277,000 U.S. dollars five years ago. One of the factors driving house prices was the cost of credit. The record-low federal funds effective rate allowed mortgage lenders to set mortgage interest rates as low as 2.3 percent. With interest rates on the rise, home buying has also slowed, causing fluctuations in house prices. Why are house prices growing? Many markets in the U.S. are overheated because supply has not been able to keep up with demand. How many homes enter the housing market depends on the construction output, whereas the availability of existing homes for purchase depends on many other factors, such as the willingness of owners to sell. Furthermore, growing investor appetite in the housing sector means that prospective homebuyers have some extra competition to worry about. In certain metros, for example, the share of homes bought by investors exceeded 20 percent in 2024.

In 2023, the real median household income in the state of Alabama was 60,660 U.S. dollars. The state with the highest median household income was Massachusetts, which was 106,500 U.S. dollars in 2023. The average median household income in the United States was at 80,610 U.S. dollars.

Treatment costs.

The U.S. housing market has slowed, after 13 consecutive years of rising home prices. In 2021, house prices surged by an unprecedented 18 percent, marking the highest increase on record. However, the market has since cooled, with the Freddie Mac House Price Index showing more modest growth between 2022 and 2024. In 2024, home prices increased by 4.2 percent. That was lower than the long-term average of 4.4 percent since 1990. Impact of mortgage rates on homebuying The recent cooling in the housing market can be partly attributed to rising mortgage rates. After reaching a record low of 2.96 percent in 2021, the average annual rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage more than doubled in 2023. This significant increase has made homeownership less affordable for many potential buyers, contributing to a substantial decline in home sales. Despite these challenges, forecasts suggest a potential recovery in the coming years. How much does it cost to buy a house in the U.S.? In 2023, the median sales price of an existing single-family home reached a record high of over 389,000 U.S. dollars. Newly built homes were even pricier, despite a slight decline in the median sales price in 2023. Naturally, home prices continue to vary significantly across the country, with West Virginia being the most affordable state for homebuyers.

Morocco Living Cost Index: Food data was reported at 197.900 1989=100 in Oct 2009. This records a decrease from the previous number of 202.700 1989=100 for Sep 2009. Morocco Living Cost Index: Food data is updated monthly, averaging 157.550 1989=100 from Jan 1990 (Median) to Oct 2009, with 238 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 202.700 1989=100 in Sep 2009 and a record low of 104.900 1989=100 in Jul 1990. Morocco Living Cost Index: Food data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by High Commission for Planning. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Morocco – Table MA.I006: Living Cost Index: 1989=100: by Industry.

Morocco Living Cost Index: Agadir: Food data was reported at 201.300 1989=100 in Oct 2009. This records a decrease from the previous number of 208.900 1989=100 for Sep 2009. Morocco Living Cost Index: Agadir: Food data is updated monthly, averaging 184.400 1989=100 from Jan 2003 (Median) to Oct 2009, with 82 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 209.700 1989=100 in Apr 2009 and a record low of 165.200 1989=100 in Mar 2003. Morocco Living Cost Index: Agadir: Food data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by High Commission for Planning. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Morocco – Table MA.I008: Living Cost Index: 1989=100: by Region.