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 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.

In 2024, the annual median cost for in-home care in the United States, such as homemaker services, amounted to 75,504 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.

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.

The median house price in 94027, Atherton, California, was about 8.3 million U.S. dollars. This made it the most expensive zip code in the United States in 2023. 11962 Sagaponack, N.Y., was the runner-up with a median house price of about 8.1 million U.S. dollars. Of the 10 most expensive zip codes in the United States in 2026, six were in California.

In the last quarter of 2024, three of the ten most expensive cities in the United States for business travel when it comes to food costs were located in California. However, the ranking was topped by Honolulu, which average daily food cost amounted to 118 U.S. dollars at that time.

Of the most populous cities in the U.S., San Jose, California had the highest annual income requirement at ******* U.S. dollars annually for homeowners to have an affordable and comfortable life in 2024. This can be compared to Houston, Texas, where homeowners needed an annual income of ****** U.S. dollars in 2024.

Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, ranked as the most expensive city to live in Africa as of 2024, considering consumer goods prices. The Ethiopian capital obtained an index score of 46.7, followed by Harare, in Zimbabwe, with 37.4. Morocco and South Africa were the countries with the most representatives among the 15 cities with the highest cost of living in Africa.

As of March 2018, estimates show that Game of Thrones was the most expensive TV shows to produce, costing HBO around 15 million U.S. dollars per episode to make during the show's final season. Previous reports estimated that HBO spent approximately 10 million U.S. dollars on each episode of Season 6.

Production costs

In 2018, the revenue of television production in the United States amounted to 37 billion U.S. dollars. This figure has remained surprisingly steady since 2009, but nevertheless TV production is big business. Amazon spent 107 million dollars on the second season of ‘The Man in the High Castle’ in 2017, and 78 million on the first season of ‘The Grand Tour’. Amazon’s adoption of the controversial but popular trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May for ‘The Grand Tour’ has sometimes been considered somewhat of a gamble. However, since the show’s debut in 2016 it has proved popular with new and existing fans of the hosts alike.

To TV fans, Game of Thrones' presence on the list will seem fitting. As mentioned above, the overall costs are estimated to have been around 10 million U.S. dollars per episode – unsurprising given the lavish sets, detailed costumes and large cast. According to the most recent figures, the final season of Game of Thrones cost around 15 million per episode.

The number four most expensive drug, as of 2024, was Lenmeldy or atidarsagene autotemcel, a drug for the treatment of metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) in children, with a manufacturer price of around 4.25 million U.S. dollars per dose. The most costly drugs worldwide based on wholesale acquisition cost (list price) are mostly orphan drugs for rare diseases. What are orphan drugs?Orphan drugs are pharmaceutical products for the treatment of so-called rare diseases. These are diseases with a very low prevalence within a population. Thus, it is not too appealing for companies to invest into R&D for drugs, which they potentially could sell only to a small number of patients. However, because persons afflicted by rare diseases should have the same right for care and treatment as persons with more common diseases, specific regulations were introduced over time. In 1983, for example, the Orphan Drug Act was signed in the United States. The impact of the Orphan Drug ActThe Orphan Drug Act applies certain incentives for pharmaceutical companies to develop and market orphan drugs. This includes, for example, tax credits on clinical research, accelerated administrative procedures, and a 7-year market exclusivity after approval. These and other benefits significantly changed the level of interest in rare disease treatments. Given the fact that there are around 7,000 rare and ultra-rare diseases, drug manufacturers are increasingly entering this market with large potential. It becomes especially profitable when an already existing drug for common diseases also shows effects on a rare disease, or when an orphan drug emerges to be effective for other, more common diseases. In such cases, the orphan status of the drug helps companies to extend market exclusivity and add higher price tags, causing some critics to claim that the industry is gaming the system.

The most expensive state university for undergraduate programs in Nigeria is the Edo University. In 2019, the average annual tuition fee for bachelor programs at this state institute was 500 thousand Naira, around 1.2 thousand U.S. dollars. The First Technical University followed with 400 thousand Naira, some 972 U.S. dollars. Only 30 state universities had tuition fees, according to the source.

In 2023, Hawaiian residents paid around 113.17 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 25 U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hour above the national average of 17 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.

This statistic shows the leading ten U.S. states with the highest cotton production in 2024. In that year, Texas was estimated to produce about *** million bales of cotton. The United States in total were ranked as third leading cotton producing country worldwide in 2023/2024. Cotton production The production of cotton is one of the United States’ most important industries. The country was the world’s third largest cotton producer after China and India, as well as the leading global cotton exporter in 2022/2023. In terms of cotton production by state, U.S. cotton is mostly grown and harvested in the Southern states, also known as the “Cotton Belt” where cotton plantations were established in the 1800s. More than *** billion U.S. dollars’ worth of cotton was produced in Texas in 2022. Upland cotton is the nation’s most commonly cultivated variety of cotton. American Pima, a finer and more expensive cotton fiber, is mainly cultivated in Arizona and California. In 2023, the United States allocated some ***** million acres of land for planting cotton. Approximately ***** million bales of cotton were produced that year.Cotton is typically used in the production of textiles. Hence Bangladesh, a leader in textile manufacturing, was the largest cotton importer in 2022/2023.

The total costs of Hurricane Katrina amounted to 125 billion U.S. dollars at the time the disaster occurred in 2005. While this is around the same total cost of Hurricane Harvey, when adjusted for inflation the former is more expensive, with the cost being the equivalent of 194 billion U.S. dollars in 2023 (compared to 155 billion U.S. dollars for Hurricane Harvey).

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana on August 9, 2005 and displaced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The death toll reached almost 2,000 people. Katrina was also the most expensive U.S. catastrophe since 1992 in terms of property loss.

Harvey, Maria and Irma Katrina was responsible for the spike in insured losses caused by natural disasters globally in 2005. Harvey, Maria and Irma also made quite the impact in 2017 when they hit central America and then made land on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The frequency and intensity of such natural disasters are increasing.

Cities in the United States dominate the list of cities with the highest rents worldwide. New York was ranked as the most expensive city to rent in, ahead of San Francisco, with an index score of ***. Boston followed in third.

As of September 2024, Mumbai had the highest cost of living among other cities in the country, with an index value of ****. Gurgaon, a satellite city of Delhi and part of the National Capital Region (NCR) followed it with an index value of ****.  What is cost of living? The cost of living varies depending on geographical regions and factors that affect the cost of living in an area include housing, food, utilities, clothing, childcare, and fuel among others. The cost of living is calculated based on different measures such as the consumer price index (CPI), living cost indexes, and wage price index. CPI refers to the change in the value of consumer goods and services. The wage price index, on the other hand, measures the change in labor services prices due to market pressures. Lastly, the living cost indexes calculate the impact of changing costs on different households. The relationship between wages and costs determines affordability and shifts in the cost of living. Mumbai tops the list Mumbai usually tops the list of most expensive cities in India. As the financial and entertainment hub of the country, Mumbai offers wide opportunities and attracts talent from all over the country. It is the second-largest city in India and has one of the most expensive real estates in the world.

New York was the world's most expensive city for business tourism in the 4th quarter of 2024, reaching an average daily cost of around *** U.S. dollars. Among the top ten of that period, three cities were located in the United States.

The median house prices in the most expensive zip codes in California reached as high as 8.3 million U.S dollars. Atherton (94027), had the most expensive median house price, followed by Santa Barbara (93108), and Beverly Hills (90210). Six of the ranked zip codes were among the top ten most expensive zip codes in the United States in 2023.

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.

2024 saw the average price for a Thanksgiving dinner decline to 58.08 U.S. dollars. In 2022, the average price for a complete Thanksgiving feast in the United States (U.S.) amounted to 64.05 U.S. dollars. The survey dinner includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and beverages of coffee and milk, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of ten. Despite the recent decrease, there has been a general increase in the average cost for a Thanksgiving family dinner for over three decades. The most rapid increase happened between 2019 and 2022 when the average price grew by almost 40 percent. Turkey prices during Thanksgiving in the U.S. The price of a whole 16-pound turkey in the U.S. was 30.15 U.S. dollars in 2024. This is the highest retail price for a whole turkey since 2018. The price of a whole turkey has increased by close to nine U.S. dollars in comparison to 2021, which is a price increase of over 40.8 percent. Moreover, the average cost of a whole turkey varies among the different U.S. states. In California, for example, a whole 15-pound turkey costs on average 39.85 U.S. dollars, which is the most expensive among all selected states. The turkey is by far the most expensive ingredient for a ten-person Thanksgiving dinner. Several other typically purchased dinner ingredients, such as pumpkin pie mix, sweet potatoes, cubed stuffing mix, dinner rolls, and whole milk cost on average between 2.93 and 4.16 U.S. dollars. Traveling during Thanksgiving in the U.S. The national holiday of Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated on November 26 in the United States. Close to one-third of Americans prefer to celebrate Thanksgiving at their relatives. Therefore, many Americans travel during Thanksgiving. The number of Thanksgiving holiday travelers in the United States is around 79.86 million. Since 2019, the amount of Thanksgiving travelers has fluctuated but increased by approximately two million. Cars are the preferred mode of transportation during Thanksgiving. Over 92 percent of the people who travel during Thanksgiving do so by car, while about 7.5 percent travel by airplane.