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.

In 2024, the annual cost for a private room in an assisted living facility in the U.S. amounted to ****** U.S. dollars. However, costs varied greatly from one state to another. The most expensive states for a private room in assisted living was found in Hawaii, followed by Alaska and DC.

The annual cost for home health services in the U.S. was 77,792 US dollars in 2024, yet varied greatly from one state to another. In that year, the most expensive U.S. state for home health aide was South Dakota, with annual cost over 100 thousand U.S. dollars.

In 2024, the annual median cost for in-home care in the United States, such as homemaker services, amounted to ****** US dollars. However, cost varied greatly from one state to another. That year, the most expensive state for homemaker services was South Dakota, with costs amounting to more than 100 thousand U.S. dollars.

In the United States, Hawaii was the state with the most expensive housing, with the typical value of single-family homes in the 35th to 65th percentile range exceeding ******* U.S. dollars. Unsurprisingly, Hawaii also ranked top as the state with the highest cost of living. Meanwhile, a property was the least expensive in West Virginia, where it cost under ******* U.S. dollars to buy the typical single-family home. Single-family home prices increased across most states in the United States between December 2023 and December 2024, except in Louisiana, Florida, and the District of Colombia. According to the Federal Housing Association, house appreciation in 13 states exceeded **** percent in 2023.

In the United States, a private room in a nursing home facility came with a cost of 127,750 U.S. dollars per year in 2024. However, the costs for private rooms in the US varied greatly from one state to another. That year, the annual cost for a private room in Alaska stood at 364,452 U.S. dollars, roughly three times the national average. The second-most expensive state for a private room in nursing home facilities was Oregon, followed by DC.

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.

In the United States, the projected number of single-family housing unit starts in 2026 is estimated to increase. After a peak in 2021, the number of home construction starts decreased two years in a row. However, those figures are expected to pick back up in the next years. Single-family homes are the preferred option for Americans Single-family homes were the most common type of home purchased in 2023 in the United States, making up roughly ** percent of all purchases, showing that demand for single-family units remains strong. That explains why there is usually a far higher number of single-family homes than of other type of homes being built any given year. There were roughly *** multifamily homes whose construction started in 2024. Single family housing units in the United States The median size of a single family housing unit in the United States based on square footage has remained relatively consistent over the past two decades. The cost of housing varies around the United States. In 2023, the most expensive median price of an existing single-family home was on the West coast. However, it was in the Northeast where the median price of a new single-family home was the most expensive.

A comprehensive dataset of average residential, commercial, and combined electricity rates in cents per kWh for all 50 U.S. states.

In 2023, Hawaiian residents paid around ****** U.S. dollars per million British thermal unit for electricity, by far the highest price in the country. This was significantly more than electricity prices in California that year, which was the second most expensive U.S. state for electricity purchases. Electricity prices across economic sectors in the U.S. Residential customers in the U.S. paid the highest electricity prices compared to the other economic sectors. This commodity price in the state of Hawaii was over ** U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hour above the national average of ** U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hour. By comparison, the price of electricity for the industrial and the commercial sectors was considerably lower. Electricity sources in the U.S. In 2023, most of the electricity generated in the U.S. came from natural gas, with the country being a leading global producer. Due to its autonomous power sector, the U.S. experienced a relatively smaller impact on electricity prices from the 2022 energy crisis compared to other nations, particularly those in Europe. By comparison, Hawaii’s high electricity prices are a consequence of the island state’s reliance on imported oil for its power generation.

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

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.

The average construction cost of a single-family home in the United States was about ******* U.S. dollars in 2024, about ****** U.S. dollars more expensive than in 2022. The source also adds that interior finishes – which includes insulation, flooring, and appliances – accounted for the largest share of costs at ** percent. U.S. housing construction slows Construction work was underway on over 1,000 single-family housing units in the United States in 2024. This number increased year-on-year between 2011 and 2021, followed by a notable decline in the next two years. Despite this trend, the industry experts are optimistic about construction levels picking up until 2026. The median size of a new single-family home has also shrunk. In 2023, the average home had approximately ***** square feet of floor space, about *** square feet less than in 2015. How many homes are sold each year in the United States? Less than ************ homes were sold in the United States in 2023, the majority of which were existing home sales. The median sales price of an existing single-family home was ******* U.S. dollars in that year, a figure that has risen steadily since 2011. Those in the market for a newly constructed single-family home will have to pay more, with the median sales price at ******* U.S. dollars in 2022.

In 2023 and 2024, the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University was ranked as the least expensive quality business school in the United States, with a tuition costs of 234 U.S. dollars per credit for in-state, full-time students. MBA programs generally require between 30 to 60 credits which can be completed by full-time students in about two years.

As of October 2024, the city with the most expensive hotel rate in the United States was Boston. Visitors to the East Coast city could expect to pay 320 U.S. dollars for a doube room during that period. Meanwhile, New York ranked third with an average rate of 284 U.S. dollars.

The median sales price of the existing privately owned single-family homes in the United States increased slightly in 2024. The most expensive homes were found in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, where the median sales price was 1.9 million U.S. dollars. Hawaii and Delaware experienced the strongest home appreciation.

More than one minimum wage job was required to afford two-bedroom housing in all states in the United States in 2024. At mean wage, Hawaii was the most expensive state requiring renters to hold about two full-time jobs at a mean wage to afford two-bedroom housing. The fair market rent value of two bedroom housing in Hawaii ranked fourth most expensive among all states in the United States in 2024.

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.

Rooftop solar photovoltaic installations on residential buildings and nuclear power have the highest unsubsidized levelized costs of energy generation in the United States. If it wasn't for federal and state subsidies, rooftop solar PV would come with a price tag between *** and *** U.S. dollars per megawatt-hour. Rooftop installations have a higher levelized cost range due to their relatively small capacity when compared with utility-scale power plant facilities. LCOE for solar PV Levelized cost of electricity or energy generation (LCOE) is a measure used to compare cost efficiency of different electricity generating technologies. It describes the average expense of building and maintaining a power plant divided by its total power output over the facility’s lifetime. The global levelized cost of electricity for solar PV averaged **** U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour in 2023. The economic viability of solar PV installations is dependent on a variety of factors largely centering around topography and the predominant weather pattern at the installation site. In regions with high sunshine duration, installing solar PV would come with lower LCOE’s as electricity production may be higher. As countries may stretch across highly variable topography and even across climate zones, solar PV LCOE may also vary greatly within a country. The U.S. has some of the lowest LCOE’s for utility-scale solar PV. Capital costs by energy technology In terms of capital costs – the one-time expense arising from the purchase of land, construction material, and building of the power plant for new power plants expected to come live in 2028, offshore wind power is the most expensive in the United States. It had an estimated levelized capital costs of roughly **** U.S. dollars per megawatt-hour as of March 2023. Capital costs for solar PV are comparatively low.

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 ***** U.S. dollars, while in San Francisco, CA which ranked second highest, renters paid on average ***** U.S. dollars.