10 Most Expensive Places to Live in the U.S.

http://finance.yahoo.com ^ | april 5, 2013 | Jason McCormick

[lowbridge]

Which U.S. cities have the highest costs of living?

The Council for Community and Economic Research recently measured the prices of common purchases in 307 urban areas to find the cost of the professional standard of living in each location. The index, its fifth edition, crunched more than 50,000 prices -- everything from grocery items to transportation to housing.

The national average on the index is 100.

Following is a look at each of the 10 most expensive cities in the United States.

[Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America]

Rolling Hills Estates, CA

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Rolling-Hills-Estates-CA/33727_rid/33.788368,-118.345263,33.766109,-118.37127_rect/14_zm/1_fr/

[AnotherUnixGeek]

New York, California, Massachusetts, and DC. Three Democrat-controlled states roaring toward the cliff to financial oblivion, and the DC basket-case. Taxes and housing prices are primary reasons for the expensiveness of the three states, and Democratic policies are the primary reasons for the taxes and housing prices.

This is basically a list of the worst state and local governments in the US.

[mnehring]

OK, raise your hand if you ever paid $16.29 for a haircut (or $8.37, or whatever with cents in the fee)

There must be a lot more competition in these cities than other places, lots of old fashioned mom and pops that bring down the average price. Most 'Supercuts' places around here (about as cheap as you can get) are at minimum $15-$20. Mid range about $25. Don't even ask about the places my wife goes.

[Revolting cat!]

I had a $10 Chinese haircut recently where the cutter didn’t understand my request and gave me a standard do which I without my eyeglasses couldn’t watch happening.

[mnehring]

As a contrast to these high cost of living areas, I'm about to make some of you cry. A friend of mine has this house for sale in Marshall, Texas (very Normal Rockwell in NE Texas near Louisiana). He was just transferred to Terrell. Completely remodeled and updated.

Asking price, $169K Click the photo for more pictures.

[Fiji Hill]

A few years ago, I considered applying for a job in Jackson Hole, Wyo., but was stunned when I learned about its sky-high cost of living, since costs seemed so reasonable in places like Laramie. However, I was told that Jackson Hole, where a lot of glitterati apparently make their home, “is not like the rest of Wyoming.”

[bigbob]

Chicago too, once you add the cost of Kevlar outerwear

[mnehring]

I have turned down many transfers and offers due to the cost of living difference from East Texas to other parts of the country. It just wasn’t worth it.

[sheana]

We are looking to leave California soon. Only reason we have stayed is because of Hubby’s dad.
My problem with everywhere we have looked...Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, is their architecture. Have a really hard time seeing myself living in most of it. Just doesn’t fit me. lol I know, I know but jeez.

[Little Bill]

I would take a trip down to see the place but Texas is to hot for me.

[bgill]

Even in Texas, it’s location, location, location and throw in a good dose of liberal imports moving in from those high priced areas. There are crappy little houses here on small lots that new owners would bulldoze that are going for 4 times that.

[bgill]

Yes, has been over $3 for years. It ranges from about $3.20 to $3.75.

[Cyber Liberty]

I find it interesting they broke NYC into the Boroughs, yet lumped all of Orange County CA into one. Why? Would Harlem and The Bronx bring the city’s average down to less than #1? There’s a preconceived notion at work here...There always is when books appear to be cooked.

[momtothree]

You did make me cry, you big, fat meanie! The house is absolutely gorgeous! If your friend did the remodeling, he or she did an amazing job! It is one of those homes that appear in my dreams.

[mnehring]

To give you an idea of how much work they had to do, this is right after Hurricane Ike (mind you, we are almost 300 miles from the coast, we just had some big storms from Ike up here.)

They have almost a decade of progress photos on Facebook.

[momtothree]

The renovation is meticulous. Wow.... they had so much work! They have to feel sort of sad to leave it (I know I would). It is just magnificent and the inside of the house is just beautiful! This was truly a labor of love.

[mnehring]

They even had the entire house jacked up and had the foundation completely redone.

They probably have as much in the renovation as they are selling it for.

[ottbmare]

I know what you mean—the architecture of some areas doesn’t sit well with me, either. Solution: build your own. There are some excellent options.

[heylady]

Do they have the names of the yellow paint colors? I see these yellows all the time now on tv. I am one of those people that misses half of the story because I am looking at how the setting is decorated.

Staying more inline with this post I left RI a couple of years ago to come down to Texas because I just couldn’t afford heating and electrical bills up north. I also bought a much larger and newer house for half the price of the house I sold in RI.

[chicagolady]

I CANNOT believe they missed Chicago!