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.

The graph illustrates the most expensive drugs in the United States for the year 2024. The x-axis lists the drug names, including Lenmeldy***, Hemgenix*, Elevidys*, Skysona*, Zynteglo*, Zolgensma*, Myalept**, Danyelza**, Zokinvy**, and Kimmtrak**, while the y-axis represents the cost of each drug in U.S. dollars. Among these, Lenmeldy*** stands as the most costly medication at $4,250,000, followed by Hemgenix* at $3,500,000 and Elevidys* at $3,200,000. The prices gradually decrease with Skysona* priced at $3,000,000, Zynteglo* at $2,800,000, and Zolgensma* at $2,100,000. The remaining drugs—Myalept** ($1,300,000), Danyelza** and Zokinvy** (each at $1,200,000), and Kimmtrak** ($1,100,000)—are comparatively less expensive but still among the highest-priced medications available. The data reveals a significant disparity in drug costs, with the top-priced drug being nearly four times more expensive than the least expensive one listed. This steep decline from the highest to the lowest cost highlights the wide range of prices within the most expensive pharmaceuticals in the U.S. for 2024. The information is effectively represented in a bar graph format, which clearly showcases the differences in drug prices and emphasizes the concentration of costs among the top-tier medications.

On April 1, 2025, the price of regular gasoline was highest in California, at around 4.85 U.S. dollars per gallon. This was some 1.6 dollars above the national average of 3.2 U.S. dollars. California's high motor fuel prices are largely determined by it being the U.S. state with the highest gasoline tax. Tax impact on pump prices As of January 2024, California's gasoline tax reached 68.1 U.S. cents per gallon, far exceeding rates in other states. This tax burden plays a crucial role in shaping retail prices, with federal and state taxes being one of the strongest determinants of what consumers pay at the pump. The revenue generated from these taxes is typically reinvested in road infrastructure, demonstrating the direct link between fuel costs and transportation development. Winter months see lowest prices While taxes significantly influence gasoline prices, crude oil costs remain the primary factor, accounting for 58 percent of the retail price in February 2025. The volatility of crude oil prices directly impacts pump prices, as seen in the fluctuations over recent years. Conventional motor fuel prices, including gasoline and diesel, are generally lowest in the winter months. This is due to generally lower demand during those months, as well as the winter fuel blend being less expensive to produce than the summer alternative.

Telluride, CO, was the most expensive market for luxury single-family home market in the United States in 2025. In February that year, the median sales price of a single-family home in Telluride was 4.5 million U.S. dollars. Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and Park City, UT were other locations that fetched prices over four million U.S. dollars.

As of April 2025, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 (256GB) was the most expensive folding phone available at AT&T in the United States, priced at around 1,900 U.S. dollars. By contrast, the Motorola Razr+2024 (256GB) cost just under 1,000 U.S. dollars.

A table listing the average electricity rates (kWh) of all 50 U.S. states as of March 2025.

As of January 2025, the rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Hawaii was about 120 U.S. dollars higher than in California. The states of Hawaii and California ranked as the most expensive within the United States for apartment renters. Conversely, an apartment in Arkansas was almost three times more affordable than one in Hawaii.In 2025, the average monthly rent in the U.S. declined slightly. Nevertheless, in rents increased in most states, with West Virginia registering the highest growth.

In 2024, New York, NY, was the most expensive rental market for one-bedroom apartments in the United States. The median monthly rental rate of an apartment in New York was 4,280 U.S. dollars, while in San Francisco, CA which ranked second highest, renters paid on average 3,160 U.S. dollars.

As of January 2025, Hurricane Katrina, which occurred between 25 and 30 August 2005, was still the most expensive hurricane to ever hit the United States. It caused insured property losses amounting to almost *** billion U.S. dollars.

The District of Columbia holds the record for the highest price per ounce of high quality marijuana in the United States, as of January 2025, with an average price of some 590 U.S. dollars per ounce. Recreational cannabis use Recreational cannabis is not legal in all U.S. states; however, many consumers use the drug illicitly. A recent survey indicated that over half of U.S. adults think that cannabis should be legalized and taxed like alcohol and tobacco. Recreational cannabis is often used by consumers for relaxation, stress relief, and creativity, to name a few. Surveys have shown that a majority of recreation users use marijuana for relaxation. Legal marijuana market potential It is projected that by 2025 the sales of legal cannabis in the U.S. will generate approximately 25 billion dollars in revenue. The regulation of marijuana includes the taxation of all sales. There is potential for the U.S. cannabis market to generate significant taxes and boost the economy. It is estimated that the taxes from legal marijuana sales would exceed the taxes earned from U.S. sales taxes by a significant amount.

In January 2025, apartment rents recorded an annual growth in most U.S. states. Nevertheless, the national average rent declined by about *** percent. West Virginia was the state with the largest rental increase, while Colorado measured the largest decline. California, one of the most expensive states to rent an apartment, such as California, saw an increase of about *** percent from the previous year. How much should you earn to afford to rent an apartment in different states in the U.S.? Both employment opportunities and the living costs vary widely across the country. In California, which is among the most competitive housing markets in the U.S., the hourly wage needed to afford a two-bedroom apartment rental was roughly ** U.S. dollars, more than twice higher than in North Carolina, Louisiana, or Michigan in 2024. When it comes to the median household income, on the other hand, California does not even make it in the top ten states. How much should you earn to afford a home in some of U.S. largest metros? In 2022, the annual salary needed to buy a median-priced home in the U.S. was ****** U.S. dollars. However, in some of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States, where housing prices are up to two or three times higher, homebuyers would have to earn more than 100,000 U.S. dollars to afford a home. In San Jose, which was the most expensive metro, the annual salary needed for a median-priced home was approximately ******* U.S. dollars.

In a public two-year institution for commuters, the total undergraduate budget for the 2024/2025 academic year in the United States was 20,570 U.S. dollars, including 4,050 U.S. dollars for tuition and fees. For private, nonprofit four-year institutions where students lived on campus, the total estimated budget clocked in at 62,990 U.S. dollars, making it the most expensive option for undergraduates.

Pre-packaged, thick sliced, regular sliced or thin sliced pork bacon, regardless of process state."

Graph and download economic data for US Regular Conventional Gas Price (GASREGCOVW) from 1990-08-20 to 2025-05-26 about conventional, gas, commodities, and USA.

The average monthly rent for all apartment types in the U.S. soared in 2021 and 2022, followed by a slight decline in the next two years. In April 2025, the monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment amounting to ***** U.S. dollars. That was an increase from ***** U.S. dollars in January 2021, but a decline from the peak value of ***** U.S. dollars in August 2022. Where are the most expensive apartments in the U.S.? Apartment rents vary widely from state to state. To afford a two-bedroom apartment in California, for example, a renter needed to earn an average hourly wage of nearly ** U.S. dollars, which was approximately double the average wage in North Carolina and three times as much as the average wage in Arkansas. In fact, rental costs were considerably higher than the hourly minimum wage in all U.S. states. How did rents change in different states in the U.S.? In 2024, some of the most expensive states to rent an apartment only saw a moderate increase in rental prices. Nevertheless, rents increased in most states as of April 2025. In West Virginia, the annual rental growth was the highest, at ***** percent.

Gasoline prices in the United States have experienced significant fluctuations over the past three decades, with 2024 seeing an average price of 3.3 U.S. dollars per gallon. This marks a notable decrease from the record high of 3.95 U.S. dollars per gallon in 2022, yet remains considerably higher than prices seen in the early 2000s. Despite this, American consumers continue to enjoy relatively low gasoline prices compared to many other countries, with some European countries paying more than double the U.S. average. Drivers in Hawaii and California pay the most at the pump Gasoline prices vary significantly across the United States, with Hawaii and California consistently ranking as the most expensive states for this fuel. As of January 1, 2025, Hawaii's average price for regular gasoline was 4.54 U.S. dollars per gallon, nearly 1.5 dollars above the national average. California's high prices are largely attributed to its steep gasoline taxes, which reached 68.1 U.S. cents per gallon in January 2024. These taxes play a crucial role in shaping retail prices and are typically reinvested in road infrastructure, demonstrating the direct link between fuel costs and transportation development. Patterns in gasoline consumption In a global context, the United States maintains some of the lowest conventional motor fuel prices among high-income countries. This is largely due to its position as the world's largest crude oil producer, allowing it to keep retail prices comparatively low. Despite fluctuations in price, gasoline consumption in the U.S. remains robust, averaging around 8.5 million barrels per day in 2024. Consumption tends to be highest in the summer months and lowest in the winter months due to changing driving behavior.

In the first quarter of 2025, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Honolulu were some of the U.S. cities with the highest housing construction costs. Meanwhile, Phoenix had one of the lowest construction costs for high-end multifamily homes at 190 U.S. dollars per square foot and Las Vegas for single-family homes between 240 and 480 U.S. dollars per square foot. Construction cost disparities As seen here, the construction cost for a high-end multi-family home in San Francisco in the first quarter of 2024 was over twice more expensive than in Phoenix. Meanwhile, there were also great differences in the cost of building a single-family house in New York and in Portland or Seattle. Some factors that may cause these disparities are the construction materials, installation, and composite costs, differing land values, wages, etc. For example, although the price of construction materials in the U.S. was rising at a slower level than in 2022 and 2023, several materials that are essential in most construction projects had growth rates of over five percent in 2024. Growing industry revenue Despite the economic uncertainty and other challenges, the size of the private construction market in the U.S. rose during the past years. It is important to consider that supply and demand for housing influences the revenue of this segment of the construction market. On the supply side, single-family home construction fell in 2023, but it is expected to rise in 2024 and 2025. On the demand side, some of the U.S. metropolitan areas with the highest sale prices of single-family homes were located in California, with San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara at the top of the ranking.

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.

Retail residential electricity prices in the United States have mostly risen over the last decades. In 2023, prices registered a year-over-year growth of 6.3 percent, the highest growth registered since the beginning of the century. Residential prices are projected to continue to grow by two percent in 2024. Drivers of electricity price growth The price of electricity is partially dependent on the various energy sources used for generation, such as coal, gas, oil, renewable energy, or nuclear. In the U.S., electricity prices are highly connected to natural gas prices. As the commodity is exposed to international markets that pay a higher rate, U.S. prices are also expected to rise, as it has been witnessed during the energy crisis in 2022. Electricity demand is also expected to increase, especially in regions that will likely require more heating or cooling as climate change impacts progress, driving up electricity prices. Which states pay the most for electricity? Electricity prices can vary greatly depending on both state and region. Hawaii has the highest electricity prices in the U.S., at roughly 43 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour as of May 2023, due to the high costs of crude oil used to fuel the state’s electricity. In comparison, Idaho has one of the lowest retail rates. Much of the state’s energy is generated from hydroelectricity, which requires virtually no fuel. In addition, construction costs can be spread out over decades.

In New York City, one of the United States’ most iconic destinations, Airbnb has established itself as a key player in the accommodation market. In 2025, Airbnb customers booked an average of 47 nights per stay, with an average price of 119 U.S. dollars per night. Meanwhile, the average income per property was 7,062 U.S. dollars that year. Are Airbnb rentals expensive in New York City? As of early 2024, the most expensive Airbnb properties per night in the United States were in San Francisco. This was followed by Los Angeles and San Diego. In comparison, the average cost of a night’s stay at an Airbnb property in New York City is less than half of the cost of a night in San Francisco. How many Airbnb properties are there in New York City? In early 2024, the Airbnb market in New York City offered more than 39.7 thousand properties accommodating to the different needs of visitors to the city. There are a variety of types of Airbnb properties in New York City, the most common of which were entire homes and apartments, followed by private rooms. The majority of Airbnb listings also catered to longer-term stays, in light of city regulations on housing.