Name: AdvisorSmith City Cost of Living Index
Creator: AdvisorSmith
Published: 2020-06-05
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The cost of living in the United States varies widely based upon the city where an individual lives. AdvisorSmith analyzed the cost of living in 509 metropolitan areas (which we call cities) in the United States and created the AdvisorSmith Cost of Living Index (COLI), which details the cost of living in different parts of the country and provides an easy way to compare cities against one another.

Cost of Living by City

The AdvisorSmith Cost of Living Index is modeled upon national average household budgets, with weights assigned to six major categories of household expenses. The expense categories along with their weights are listed below:

Food: 16.1%
Housing: 23.2%
Utilities: 10.1%
Transportation: 18.6%
Healthcare: 9.6%
Consumer Discretionary Spending: 22.3%

These categories are aggregated to produce a cost of living index value for each of the cities.

Data was last updated: February 5, 2021

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Cost of Living Index Downloadable Data

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AdvisorSmith Cost of Living Index

In the table below, we list the cost of living in over 500 U.S. metro areas. The cities are indexed to 100, with 100 being the average cost of living for the United States. Index values above 100 indicate that the city has a cost of living above the average, while values below 100 indicate a cost of living below the average.

For example, a city with a cost of living of 130 has a cost of living 30% higher than the national average.

City	State	Cost of Living Index
Aberdeen	WA	97.6
Abilene	TX	89.1
Adrian	MI	90.5
Akron	OH	89.4
Alamogordo	NM	85.8
Albany	GA	87.3
Albany	OR	105.4
Albany	NY	100.1
Albertville	AL	90.9
Albuquerque	NM	92.9
Alexandria	LA	86.2
Allentown	PA	98.9
Altoona	PA	90.8
Amarillo	TX	88.2
Ames	IA	91.5
Anchorage	AK	110.7
Ann Arbor	MI	99.3
Anniston	AL	85.7
Appleton	WI	90.7
Asheville	NC	103.3
Ashtabula	OH	87.4
Athens	OH	88.5
Athens	TX	92.9
Athens	GA	95
Atlanta	GA	100.3
Atlantic City	NJ	102
Auburn	NY	93.7
Auburn	AL	91.9
Augusta	GA	91.6
Augusta	ME	100
Austin	TX	106.6
Bakersfield	CA	102.9
Baltimore	MD	107
Bangor	ME	98
Barnstable Town	MA	122.4
Baton Rouge	LA	91.1
Battle Creek	MI	85.9
Bay City	MI	85.4
Beaumont	TX	88.6
Beaver Dam	WI	92.9
Beckley	WV	80
Bellingham	WA	111.6
Bend	OR	115.9
Billings	MT	95.7
Binghamton	NY	93.3
Birmingham	AL	90.7
Bismarck	ND	93.1
Blacksburg	VA	94.5
Bloomington	IN	92.4
Bloomington	IL	89
Bloomsburg	PA	93.2
Bluefield	WV	81.2
Boise City	ID	100.3
Boston	MA	132.6
Boulder	CO	118.7
Bowling Green	KY	87
Bozeman	MT	125.3
Brainerd	MN	97.9
Branson	MO	89.5
Bremerton	WA	115
Brownsville	TX	87.8
Brunswick	GA	94.4
Buffalo	NY	97.3
Burlington	NC	91.8
Burlington	VT	112.8
California	MD	104.8
Canton	OH	88.2
Cape Girardeau	MO	88.1
Carbondale	IL	83.5
Carson City	NV	103
Casper	WY	94.2
Cedar Rapids	IA	88.1
Centralia	WA	103.3
Chambersburg	PA	95.7
Champaign	IL	89
Charleston	WV	83.9
Charleston	SC	101.7
Charlotte	NC	97.9
Charlottesville	VA	102.1
Chattanooga	TN	91.2
Cheyenne	WY	96.9
Chicago	IL	100.1
Chico	CA	110.5
Chillicothe	OH	89.8
Cincinnati	OH	92.4
Claremont	NH	102.3
Clarksburg	WV	83.4
Clarksville	TN	88.7
Clearlake	CA	108.8
Cleveland	TN	89.5
Cleveland	OH	90
Coeur d'Alene	ID	103.3
College Station	TX	92.3
Colorado Springs	CO	102.2
Columbia	MO	89.8
Columbia	SC	91.9
Columbus	GA	88.5
Columbus	IN	89.1
Columbus	OH	93.9
Concord	NH	108.3
Cookeville	TN	90.9
Coos Bay	OR	102
Corning	NY	90.9
Corpus Christi	TX	93.3
Corvallis	OR	110.6
Crestview	FL	104.7
Cullman	AL	90.5
Cumberland	MD	90.9
Dallas	TX	98.5
Dalton	GA	89.1
Danville	IL	83.9
Danville	VA	87.1
Daphne	AL	96.6
Davenport	IA	87.2
Dayton	OH	88.4
Daytona Beach	FL	99.6
Decatur	AL	88.6
Decatur	IL	84.9
Denver	CO	112.1
Des Moines	IA	91.7
Detroit	MI	93.2
Dothan	AL	86.3
Dover	DE	101.3
DuBois	PA	88.2
Dubuque	IA	89.6
Duluth	MN	93.2
Dunn	NC	91.4
Durham	NC	99.8
East Stroudsburg	PA	96.1
Eau Claire	WI	91.8
El Centro	CA	102.3
El Paso	TX	88.6
Elizabeth City	NC	91.1
Elizabethtown	KY	88.1
Elkhart	IN	88.5
Elmira	NY	92.5
Enid	OK	82.9
Erie	PA	91.8
Eugene	OR	108.4
Eureka	CA	116.5
Evansville	IN	87.2
Fairbanks	AK	107.9
Fargo	ND	91.4
Faribault	MN	102.3
Farmington	MO	85.4
Farmington	NM	88.4
Fayetteville	NC	89.5
Fayetteville	AR	90.4
Findlay	OH	91.1
Flagstaff	AZ	108.5
Flint	MI	85.7
Florence	SC	87.7
Florence	AL	86.8
Fond du Lac	WI	88
Forest City	NC	89.4
Fort Collins	CO	109.2
Fort Myers	FL	101.5
Fort Smith	AR	84.2
Fort Wayne	IN	86.8
Frankfort	KY	88.1
Fresno	CA	105.9
Gadsden	AL	86
Gainesville	FL	97.3
Gainesville	GA	97
Gallup	NM	90
Gettysburg	PA	98.2
Glens Falls	NY	98.6
Glenwood Springs	CO	127.8
Goldsboro	NC	88.5
Grand Forks	ND	90.7
Grand Island	NE	88.8
Grand Junction	CO	98.1
Grand Rapids	MI	93.7
Grants Pass	OR	106.6
Great Falls	MT	91.1
Greeley	CO	106.1
Green Bay	WI	91.4
Greeneville	TN	86.5
Greenfield Town	MA	106.2
Greensboro	NC	91
Greenville	NC	89.8
Greenville	SC	95
Greenwood	SC	88.7
Gulfport	MS	86.8
Hagerstown	MD	99.7
Hammond	LA	89
Hanford	CA	105.4
Harrisburg	PA	95.8
Harrisonburg	VA	95.5
Hartford	CT	104.8
Hattiesburg	MS	86.1
Helena	MT	104.2
Hermiston	OR	97.9
Hickory	NC	89.8
Hilo	HI	136.9
Hilton Head Island	SC	109.4
Hinesville	GA	90.8
Hobbs	NM	87.7
Holland	MI	96.2
Homosassa Springs	FL	95.5
Honolulu	HI	158
Hot Springs	AR	87.3
Houma	LA	89.9
Houston	TX	95.8
Huntington	WV	84.3
Huntsville	AL	91.3
Huntsville	TX	91.2
Hutchinson	KS	84
Idaho Falls	ID	91.7
Indiana	PA	90.8
Indianapolis	IN	90.2
Iowa City	IA	93.5
Ithaca	NY	101.7
Jackson	MI	87.4
Jackson	MS	87.8
Jackson	TN	85.2
Jacksonville	FL	99
Jacksonville	NC	91.7
Jamestown	NY	91.3
Janesville	WI	89.8
Jefferson	GA	97.4
Jefferson City	MO	86.3
Johnson City	TN	88.1
Johnstown	PA	87.6
Jonesboro	AR	85.2
Joplin	MO	85.2
Kahului	HI	158.5
Kalamazoo	MI	89.3
Kalispell	MT	112.7
Kankakee	IL	91
Kansas City	MO	91.6
Kapaa	HI	164.9
Keene	NH	102.1
Kennewick	WA	99.7
Key West	FL	140
Killeen	TX	88.6
Kingsport	TN	86
Kingston	NY	106.1
Klamath Falls	OR	97.1
Knoxville	TN	91.6
Kokomo	IN	84.9
La Crosse	WI	91.8
Lafayette	LA	89.6
Lafayette	IN	88.7
LaGrange	GA	86
Lake Charles	LA	89.4
Lake City	FL	93.6
Lake Havasu City	AZ	98.4
Lakeland	FL	96.4
Lancaster	PA	99.5
Lansing	MI	88.7
Laredo	TX	90.1
Las Cruces	NM	88.8
Las Vegas	NV	100.7
Laurel	MS	85.9
Lawrence	KS	91.6
Lawton	OK	82.8
Lebanon	PA	95.4
Lewiston	ID	92.5
Lewiston	ME	99.7
Lexington	KY	91.1
Lima	OH	87.2
Lincoln	NE	94.7
Little Rock	AR	88
Logan	UT	95.2
London	KY	84.6
Longview	TX	88.5
Longview	WA	101.6
Los Angeles	CA	140.6
Louisville	KY	91.6
Lubbock	TX	88.8
Lufkin	TX	88.2
Lumberton	NC	83.4
Lynchburg	VA	93.6
Macon	GA	87.2
Madera	CA	108.9
Madison	WI	99.5
Manchester	NH	109.6
Manhattan	KS	89.6
Manitowoc	WI	87.8
Mankato	MN	95.3
Mansfield	OH	86.2
Marinette	WI	86.6
Marion	IN	81.8
Marion	OH	85.7
Marquette	MI	91.3
Marshall	TX	89.9
Martinsville	VA	85
McAllen	TX	86
Meadville	PA	88.5
Medford	OR	107.5
Melbourne	FL	99.3
Memphis	TN	88.2
Merced	CA	108.2
Meridian	MS	82
Miami	FL	110.1
Michigan City	IN	87.8
Midland	MI	87
Midland	TX	97.8
Milwaukee	WI	93.8
Minneapolis	MN	105.4
Minot	ND	90.7
Missoula	MT	103.4
Mobile	AL	88.3
Modesto	CA	112.3
Monroe	LA	86.5
Monroe	MI	90.5
Montgomery	AL	88.5
Morehead City	NC	102.2
Morgantown	WV	88.5
Morristown	TN	87.3
Moses Lake	WA	95.7
Mount Airy	NC	89
Mount Pleasant	MI	86.8
Mount Vernon	WA	110.1
Muncie	IN	83.7
Muskegon	MI	87.7
Muskogee	OK	81.3
Myrtle Beach	SC	94.7
Nacogdoches	TX	89.6
Napa	CA	149.6
Naples	FL	109.4
Nashville	TN	100.1
New Bern	NC	90.2
New Castle	PA	88.1
New Haven	CT	107.7
New London	CT	105.9
New Orleans	LA	92.4
New Philadelphia	OH	88.9
New York	NY	128
Niles	MI	89.7
North Wilkesboro	NC	90.5
Oak Harbor	WA	125.2
Ocala	FL	94.5
Ocean City	NJ	109.5
Odessa	TX	92.7
Ogden	UT	99.8
Ogdensburg	NY	88.3
Oklahoma City	OK	87.3
Olean	NY	89
Olympia	WA	110.9
Omaha	NE	92.9
Opelousas	LA	86.1
Orangeburg	SC	85.3
Orlando	FL	101.4
Oshkosh	WI	89
Ottawa	IL	86.6
Owensboro	KY	86.6
Owosso	MI	84.8
Paducah	KY	85.7
Palatka	FL	93.2
Panama City	FL	101.9
Parkersburg	WV	84.7
Pensacola	FL	97.9
Peoria	IL	86.7
Philadelphia	PA	103.4
Phoenix	AZ	104.3
Pine Bluff	AR	82.3
Pittsburgh	PA	93.1
Pittsfield	MA	106.4
Plattsburgh	NY	93.7
Pocatello	ID	90.8
Port Angeles	WA	109.1
Port St. Lucie	FL	101.1
Portland	ME	113
Portland	OR	116.5
Portsmouth	OH	84.7
Pottsville	PA	87
Prescott	AZ	104.6
Providence	RI	111.5
Provo	UT	100.9
Pueblo	CO	92.2
Punta Gorda	FL	100.3
Quincy	IL	87.3
Racine	WI	90.9
Raleigh	NC	99.7
Rapid City	SD	94.2
Reading	PA	96
Redding	CA	108.7
Reno	NV	107.4
Richmond	IN	84.2
Richmond	VA	99.2
Richmond	KY	90.8
Riverside	CA	116.1
Roanoke	VA	94.1
Roanoke Rapids	NC	83.1
Rochester	MN	97.3
Rochester	NY	96.6
Rockford	IL	87.2
Rocky Mount	NC	88.3
Rome	GA	89.6
Roseburg	OR	100.8
Roswell	NM	86.3
Russellville	AR	85.5
Sacramento	CA	120.3
Saginaw	MI	84
Salem	OR	105.8
Salem	OH	86.6
Salinas	CA	138.3
Salisbury	MD	103.2
Salt Lake City	UT	105.9
San Angelo	TX	90.7
San Antonio	TX	92.7
San Diego	CA	136.2
San Francisco	CA	178.6
San Jose	CA	173.5
San Luis Obispo	CA	136.1
Sandusky	OH	90.8
Santa Cruz	CA	163.9
Santa Fe	NM	105.1
Santa Maria	CA	143
Santa Rosa	CA	141.7
Sarasota	FL	104.4
Savannah	GA	97.3
Scranton	PA	91.3
Searcy	AR	85.4
Seattle	WA	124.6
Sebring	FL	93.1
Seneca	SC	94
Sevierville	TN	103.5
Shawnee	OK	82.4
Sheboygan	WI	89.7
Shelby	NC	88.1
Shelton	WA	109.6
Sherman	TX	91.3
Show Low	AZ	101.9
Shreveport	LA	85.8
Sierra Vista	AZ	93.2
Sioux City	IA	87.1
Sioux Falls	SD	92.8
Somerset	PA	89.3
South Bend	IN	87.2
Spartanburg	SC	91
Spokane	WA	100.4
Springfield	IL	87.5
Springfield	MA	106.5
Springfield	MO	86.7
Springfield	OH	87.5
St. Cloud	MN	95.4
St. George	UT	98
St. Joseph	MO	85.5
St. Louis	MO	89.6
Stamford	CT	119.2
State College	PA	99.8
Statesboro	GA	91.1
Staunton	VA	94.5
Stevens Point	WI	91.5
Stillwater	OK	86.3
Stockton	CA	113.6
Sumter	SC	88.1
Sunbury	PA	88.6
Syracuse	NY	95.1
Talladega	AL	87.4
Tallahassee	FL	96.4
Tampa	FL	101.4
Terre Haute	IN	84.7
Texarkana	TX	86.3
The Villages	FL	100.7
Toledo	OH	87.5
Topeka	KS	85.6
Torrington	CT	105.2
Traverse City	MI	99.6
Trenton	NJ	104.3
Truckee	CA	132.8
Tucson	AZ	97.7
Tullahoma	TN	88.7
Tulsa	OK	86.7
Tupelo	MS	87.2
Tuscaloosa	AL	91
Twin Falls	ID	91.2
Tyler	TX	92.8
Ukiah	CA	128
Utica	NY	94.1
Valdosta	GA	89.2
Vallejo	CA	125.2
Ventura	CA	132.2
Vero Beach	FL	98.9
Victoria	TX	89.5
Vineland	NJ	97.8
Virginia Beach	VA	99
Visalia	CA	103.6
Waco	TX	89.5
Walla Walla	WA	100.9
Warner Robins	GA	90.5
Warsaw	IN	92.3
Washington	DC	120.1
Waterloo	IA	87.6
Watertown	WI	97.1
Watertown	NY	96.4
Wausau	WI	88.9
Weirton	WV	82.6
Wenatchee	WA	106.6
Wheeling	WV	84.1
Whitewater	WI	97.7
Wichita	KS	86.8
Wichita Falls	TX	85.7
Williamsport	PA	93.4
Wilmington	NC	99
Wilson	NC	86.3
Winchester	VA	97.2
Winston-Salem	NC	91.2
Wisconsin Rapids	WI	86.9
Wooster	OH	95.5
Worcester	MA	113.2
Yakima	WA	97.5
York	PA	95.8
Youngstown	OH	86.4
Yuba City	CA	108.7
Yuma	AZ	94.5
Zanesville	OH	87.6

Why is the cost of living index important?

Whether you’re planning a move or looking to start a new career or business in a different city, it’s important to consider the cost of living in your new city. From a consumer perspective, the cost of living index will give you better insight into housing affordability, everyday expenses, health care costs, and overall standard of living. From a business owner’s perspective, cost of living information can help you better understand how to price your goods and services, as well as what you should be paying for in employee wages, rent, utilities, and insurance coverages like commercial property or workers’ compensation.

Ultimately, the cost of living index can help you compare just how far a dollar can go in a new city. In today’s work environment, where remote work is becoming more and more common, understanding a city’s cost of living can be a helpful tool in evaluating a potential move.

Methodology

The AdvisorSmith Cost of Living Index compares the cost of living in over 500 U.S. metropolitan areas, which we call “cities.” The index is constructed such that the average U.S. cost of living is normalized to 100. The cost of living was determined based on six major categories of expenses: food, housing, utilities, transportation, healthcare, and consumer discretionary spending. The percentage weight allocated to each category of expense was determined based upon the average U.S. household budget, based on the Consumer Expenditure Surveys conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For each category of expense, we created an index that reflects the U.S. average price in that expense category. We used a variety of data sources to index each city’s price level for that category of expense. The city-level categories of expense were then multiplied by the weights allocated to each category and then summed to create a composite cost of living expense index for each city.

For each category of expense, we summarize below our methodology for determining the price levels for each city. In some cases where city-level data was unavailable, we used state-level data to infer the price level for each city.

Food

Our food index was constructed based upon a survey of grocery prices across different states supplemented by data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing

Housing prices were constructed from a composite of home purchase prices and rental prices. The contribution of purchase and rental weights were based upon the ratio of expense for owned and rental expenses in the Consumer Expenditure Survey. For both rented and owned housing, we weighted prices assuming that 25% of homes were 1-bedroom, 25% were 2-bedroom, and 50% were 3-bedroom.

Rental indices were constructed using data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which publishes 50th Percentile Rent Estimates. We used this data for 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units to create an index for rental prices for each city compared with nationwide average rents.

House price indices were constructed using data from Zillow’s Home Value Index, comparing the price of 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom homes to the national average home prices, and indexing each city’s home prices.

Utilities

Our utilities index was constructed based on three categories of spending: natural gas, electricity, and household operations.

An index for natural gas was constructed using data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Natural Gas prices, and a similar index was constructed using end-use electricity prices, also from the Department of Energy.

Prices for household operations, which include services such as home repair, gardening, cleaning, and other services were sourced from the Metropolitan Area Regional Price Parities for Services, published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Transportation

The index for transportation costs was constructed considering three categories of expense: vehicle purchases, gasoline, and other vehicle expenses. Our index assumed vehicle purchase prices are largely uniform throughout the country.

A gasoline index was constructed using average retail gasoline prices around the country from Gasbuddy, comparing gasoline prices in each area to the national average.

Other vehicle expenses, consisting primarily of maintenance expenses, were indexed using the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Metropolitan Area Regional Price Parities for Services.

Health Care

The health care expenditure index was constructed based upon information from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which provides information about average premium costs for employees who receive health insurance through their employer. Additionally, we supplemented these costs with the average out-of-pocket costs paid by employees as estimated by The Commonwealth Fund. The sum of these costs formed the basis for our health care expenditure index.

Consumer Discretionary Spending

We constructed a consumer discretionary spending index based upon the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Metropolitan Area Regional Price Parities for Goods and Services. We weighted the spending between goods and services based upon the weights in the Consumer Expenditure Survey.

Sources

Zillow Home Value Index (Data Provided by Zillow Group)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, 50th Percentile Rent Estimates
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
The Commonwealth Fund, How Much U.S. Households with Employer Insurance Spend on Premiums and Out-of-Pocket Costs: A State-by-State Look
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by State and Metro Area, Metropolitan Area Regional Price Parities
U.S. Department of Energy, US Energy Information Administration, Natural Gas Prices
U.S. Department of Energy, US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector
Gasbuddy, Average Regular Gas Price

Cost of Living by City

Cost of Living Calculator

Calculate the salary you’ll need if you moved to another city.

Cost of Living Index Downloadable Data

Guidelines for Using the AdvisorSmith Cost of Living Index

AdvisorSmith Cost of Living Index

Why is the cost of living index important?

Methodology

Food

Housing

Utilities

Transportation

Health Care

Consumer Discretionary Spending

Sources

Small Business Resources

About AdvisorSmith

AdvisorSmith City Cost of Living Index

Downloadable cost of living data based on food, housing, utilities, transportation, healthcare, and consumer discretionary spending.

Cost of Living by City

Cost of Living Calculator

Calculate the salary you’ll need if you moved to another city.

Cost of Living Index Downloadable Data

Guidelines for Using the AdvisorSmith Cost of Living Index

AdvisorSmith Cost of Living Index

Why is the cost of living index important?

Methodology

Food

Housing

Utilities

Transportation

Health Care

Consumer Discretionary Spending

Sources

Small Business Resources

About AdvisorSmith