Moving for a job, or comparing offers in two places? The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) measures how much prices differ from state to state and metro to metro. Its 2024 numbers put prices in California about 10.7% above the U.S. average and in Arkansas about 13.1% below (BEA). Rent is the biggest reason places differ. Tennessee comes in at 91.9, 8.1% below the U.S. average.
To keep the same buying power, multiply your pay by the new place's number and divide by your current place's. Example: $60,000 in Tennessee is about $72,311 in California; $60,000 in California is about $49,785 in Tennessee.
BEA 2024 data · released Feb. 19, 2026 · checked Oct. 25, 2026
Cost of living calculator: what pay matches yours?
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Cost of living by state, 2024 (BEA regional price parities)
100 = U.S. average prices. Each category is compared with the overall U.S. price level, so the U.S. row isn't exactly 100 for every column.
State
All items
Goods
Housing (rents)
Utilities
Other services
United States
100.0
99.6
100.6
98.4
100.1
Alabama
88.8
96.4
61.8
84.6
96.7
Alaska
102.4
106.3
93.8
119.0
102.2
Arizona
100.7
95.4
106.8
92.3
102.8
Arkansas
86.9
93.6
58.2
74.7
95.3
California
110.7
106.1
154.3
158.9
102.6
Colorado
103.1
98.7
127.4
85.0
99.6
Connecticut
103.6
97.3
117.0
146.5
102.7
Delaware
99.8
96.2
102.0
103.8
101.2
District of Columbia
109.9
106.5
155.0
112.8
103.0
Florida
103.4
98.1
122.1
90.1
101.3
Georgia
96.3
98.9
88.7
92.8
97.3
Hawaii
110.0
111.6
125.3
190.2
102.9
Idaho
95.5
96.3
90.0
70.4
99.0
Illinois
100.0
103.8
93.9
85.0
100.2
Indiana
93.3
95.5
73.9
85.5
99.1
Iowa
87.8
93.7
65.3
83.3
92.9
Kansas
90.1
94.0
71.2
88.4
93.8
Kentucky
90.2
96.0
64.3
75.3
97.2
Louisiana
88.2
93.7
63.1
71.5
95.7
Maine
97.0
97.2
78.9
135.2
103.2
Maryland
105.0
102.5
121.1
110.9
101.6
Massachusetts
105.8
98.8
128.1
152.1
102.9
Michigan
96.2
96.0
82.3
100.2
100.9
Minnesota
98.6
100.5
91.3
90.8
100.2
Mississippi
87.0
96.2
56.5
78.4
96.1
Missouri
90.8
96.3
69.9
79.4
95.2
Montana
94.6
96.0
84.6
72.3
98.7
Nebraska
90.1
94.1
75.2
75.6
93.0
Nevada
100.0
96.3
114.1
90.5
98.7
New Hampshire
104.2
98.6
114.9
133.7
103.9
New Jersey
108.8
107.1
134.3
114.2
103.5
New Mexico
92.2
96.1
73.6
77.9
98.5
New York
107.9
107.3
122.2
134.4
104.1
North Carolina
94.3
96.6
81.4
88.6
98.2
North Dakota
89.0
95.7
71.4
73.7
91.2
Ohio
92.8
93.7
73.0
95.8
98.9
Oklahoma
87.8
93.8
62.8
73.9
95.5
Oregon
103.4
105.3
108.6
107.0
100.3
Pennsylvania
97.6
99.4
85.1
109.3
99.8
Rhode Island
102.3
97.2
105.6
146.7
102.8
South Carolina
93.7
96.3
80.5
88.3
98.3
South Dakota
88.6
95.5
67.6
79.7
91.9
Tennessee
91.9
96.2
79.1
72.1
95.1
Texas
97.1
98.1
96.5
87.5
97.1
Utah
98.9
96.4
107.8
78.7
99.0
Vermont
98.0
97.3
86.5
125.8
101.6
Virginia
101.1
100.4
106.8
92.2
100.2
Washington
107.0
104.4
126.0
92.9
103.9
West Virginia
89.5
96.5
54.2
92.2
99.9
Wisconsin
94.1
94.3
79.3
89.9
99.5
Wyoming
92.7
95.4
71.1
78.4
100.4
Source: BEA Table SARPP (2024, released Feb. 19, 2026). Housing price levels are estimated from tenant rents; utilities are water, sewer, electricity and gas.
Metro areas: highest and lowest price levels (2024)
BEA publishes RPPs for 387 metro areas; all of them are in the calculator above. Living outside a metro area? BEA's figure for the nonmetropolitan U.S. is 88.7.
Highest
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 115.6 (rents 194.7)
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 114.2 (rents 155.6)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 113.6 (rents 170.4)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 112.6 (rents 148.6)
Napa, CA: 112.6 (rents 197.4)
Lowest
Monroe, LA: 83.6 (rents 42.8)
Eagle Pass, TX: 83.8 (rents 53.7)
Dothan, AL: 83.8 (rents 46.9)
Texarkana, TX-AR: 84.0 (rents 49.9)
Enid, OK: 84.3 (rents 51.4)
Source: BEA Table MARPP. Metro areas use the federal (OMB) definitions, so a metro can cross state lines.
What these numbers include, and what they don't
What it is: a regional price parity (RPP) is a price index for one year. 100 is the U.S. average; an RPP of 120 means prices average 20% higher than the U.S. average (BEA methodology).
What's in it: the goods and services people buy, weighted like an average household's spending, including rent. Owners' housing is counted as the rent the home would earn, and housing price levels come from tenant rents.
Where it comes from: Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price (CPI) data, Census American Community Survey rents and utility costs, and BEA's spending-by-state data.
Not in it: income taxes, and what you personally pay. If you own your home with a low fixed mortgage, or have a long commute, your costs can differ a lot from the average.
Limits: BEA notes the CPI wasn't designed for place-to-place comparisons, so results can bounce around for areas with few price observations. Small differences (a point or two) aren't meaningful.
Timing: these are 2024 price levels. A ratio between two places changes slowly, so it's still a reasonable guide in 2026, but it isn't today's prices.
Facts and arithmetic, not advice. We republish BEA's published index and do the math. It compares average prices, not your budget, job market or taxes. No partner links on this page.
California, with a 2024 regional price parity (RPP) of 110.7, meaning prices there averaged about 10.7% above the U.S. average, per the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Next were Hawaii (110.0) and New Jersey (108.8); the District of Columbia was 109.9.
What state has the lowest cost of living?
Arkansas, at 86.9 in 2024 (prices about 13.1% below the U.S. average), then Mississippi (87.0), Iowa (87.8) and Oklahoma (87.8), per BEA.
How much salary do I need to move to another state?
To keep the same buying power, multiply your pay by the new place's RPP divided by your current place's RPP. For example, $60,000 in Tennessee (91.9) is about $72,311 in California (110.7). Use the calculator on this page for any state or metro area. It covers prices only, not taxes.
What is a regional price parity?
BEA's measure of how price levels differ across states and metro areas in a given year, as a percentage of the national level. An RPP of 120 means prices average 20% above the U.S. average; 90 means 10% below. It covers goods and services people buy, including rent.
Why is housing the biggest difference?
BEA says housing rents are often the main driver of differences in RPPs. In 2024 the housing (rents) index ranged from 54.2 in West Virginia to 154.3 in California among the states, while goods prices stayed much closer to the national level.
How current is this data?
These are BEA's 2024 figures, released Feb. 19, 2026. BEA plans to release 2025 figures on Dec. 10, 2026; we'll update this page then.
Estimates, not financial advice. Taxes, insurance, PMI and fees vary by lender, county and city; confirm with your lender, dealer and state agency before acting.