Ranked: Every U.S. State from Most to Least Expensive. How far does a dollar really go across America?

Visual Capitalist ^ | 06/24/2025 | Dorothy Neufeld

[SeekAndFind]

How far does a dollar really go across America?

As inflation has raised everything from housing costs to the price of eggs to record levels, consumers are feeling the burden. While tariffs stand to raise prices even further—although no meaningful signs in official data show this yet—price pressures have few signs of abating.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Dorthy Neufeld, shows price parity by U.S. state based on data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

How Price Parity Compares Across America

To show the differences in prices across the country, the BEA compared each state to the national average, represented as 100 as of 2023.

State	Regional Price Parity (U.S. = 100)
California	113
Washington DC	111
New Jersey	109
Hawaii	109
Washington	109
Massachusetts	108
New York	108
New Hampshire	105
Oregon	105
Maryland	104
Connecticut	104
Florida	104
Alaska	102
Rhode Island	101
Colorado	101
Arizona	101
Virginia	101
Delaware	99
Illinois	99
Minnesota	98
Pennsylvania	98
Texas	97
Maine	97
Nevada	97
Georgia	97
Vermont	97
Utah	95
Michigan	94
North Carolina	94
South Carolina	93
Wisconsin	93
Tennessee	93
Indiana	92
Ohio	92
Missouri	92
Idaho	91
Wyoming	91
Kentucky	91
New Mexico	90
Nebraska	90
Montana	90
Alabama	90
Kansas	90
West Virginia	90
Iowa	89
North Dakota	89
Louisiana	88
Oklahoma	88
South Dakota	88
Mississippi	87
Arkansas	87

Ranking as the nation’s most expensive state, prices in California are 13% higher than the national average.

In particular, California’s housing rents are 58% higher overall, second-only to Washington, D.C.. at 69% in 2023. Typically, housing is the primary driver of price disparities across the country.

At the same time, Californians pay more for groceries than any other state—at around 10% higher than the U.S. average.

Ranking in third is New Jersey, driven largely by its proximity to New York. In addition to high housing costs, a separate report shows that people in the Garden State pay 32% more for household bills like utilities and health insurance than the U.S. average.

At the other end of the spectrum, southern states like Arkansas and Mississippi offer some of the lowest costs of living. In August 2024, the median home sale price in Arkansas was just $203,067 compared to the U.S. median of about $385,000. Beyond housing costs, daily expenses like transportation and utilities are also comparatively lower.

Similarly, median home prices in Mississippi stand at just $183,507, however, median household incomes fall below the national average, at $55,060.

To learn more about this topic from an affordability perspective, check out this graphic on home affordability scores by U.S. state.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

But the fresh fruit and vegetables in California are fantastic.

[Flaming Conservative]

Real estate is relatively cheap in Oklahoma, but food is high, here.

[nwrep]

Also the pay is much higher than the cost of living difference vs places like Alabama.

[Equine1952]

Ahhh! The state of California. Home state of the fruits and nuts!

[cherry]

The price of gas in some parts of NYS was a DOLLAR cheaper per gallon than the state of Washington.

[VanShuyten]

“But the fresh fruit and vegetables in California are fantastic.”

I hear the same thing about Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

[dpetty121263]

I prefer the crazies and non-thinking emotional GOP types stay where they are now...we do not need them in Arkansas as we have to deal with the Mid West Snow birds and they are bad enough and but when you add a dose of Texans in the mix then you got trouble.

[21twelve]

Yes - looking at just the prices and not the pay doesn’t help most working class folks.

[AlaskaErik]

I’ve thought about northeastern Mississippi as a possible alternative if Alaska becomes too unbearable. I’m talking extreme northeastern Mississippi.

[alexander_busek]

Ahhh! The state of California. Home state of the fruits and nuts!

California: The "Granola State!" Home of fruits, nuts, and flakes.

Regards,

[alexander_busek]

I’ve thought about northeastern Mississippi as a possible alternative if Alaska becomes too unbearable.

In what way / why should Alaska ever become "unbearable?!"

Regards,

[Equine1952]

Yep. I forgot the flakes. :)

[HIDEK6]

While tariffs stand to raise prices even further—although no meaningful signs in official data show this yet— …

Jeez. Not this shit again!

[Tall Wall Texan]

My wife and I love traveling to Arkansas. The Natural State. Beautiful scenery, inexpensive lodging and food. Nice people. Even Hope, Arkansas and the Clinton Library are interesting places to visit if you like US history. Mount Magazine, Petit Jean, Eureka Springs, Bentonville/Fayetteville, Little Rock (great river front park), Hot Springs. For our anniversary recently we stayed at Coulter Farmstead at Washington, AR - very interesting place I recommend you check out online and visit. Stayed in Owen Neal log cabin built in 1840. White River, Crater of Diamonds, etc. I don’t work for the State of Arkansas tourism board, but maybe I should.

[American Infidel]

Doing any kind of an analysis at the state level is a bit misleading given the differences between the individual towns in a given state and the way averages can be skewed by outliers. In Tennessee for example; there is a vast difference in cost of living, crime and quality of life between Memphis and Brentwood. Similar differences can be observed between towns in pretty much every state. To get even more granular; even certain sections of individual cities can vary greatly. Any analysis of this kind done at the macro level should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt.

[mikey_hates_everything]

Are local taxes included? Sales, personal and real estate property tax rates are part of the cost of living.

[rxh4n1]

One of our sons is running a small business in Arkansas. We’re going to visit him soon. Pea Ridge Military Park is on my list when we go. There the Yankees defeated the weirdest Confederate Army ever assembled.

[9YearLurker]

The relative cost for most of the states in the middle, especially, varies by income level — and by the availability of your type of work and the associated salary, what you spend your money on and whether you are working or retired, etc.

[LouAvul]

Oklahoma is hot. Real hot. You don’t want to move here. And there’s nothing to do. Go to Nebraska. Or Kansas.