Cheapest State
Arkansas
Index 86.9|Median home $192,800
2026 Edition | Updated September 2026
Cost of Living by State: Price Parities for All 50 States
Direct answer: on the BEA all-items price parity, Arkansas is the cheapest state at 86.9 and California is the most expensive at 110.7 (US = 100), a 1.27x spread. 32 of the 50 states sit below the national average; Maine is the median. Full state-by-state rankings and a two-state comparison tool are below.
The price level for every state, taken from the BEA Regional Price Parities, reference year 2024. Housing rents, goods, utilities, other services, taxes and salaries, compared side by side. Built for relocators, remote workers, and retirees who need data, not a listicle.
Most Expensive
California
Index 110.7|Median home $785,300
National Average
100.0
32 of 50 states sit below the national average. Median state: Maine.
Cost of Living Heatmap
BEA all-items parity, US = 100.0
DC
Below 9090 to 9495 to 100101 to 105106 and above
Hover any state for its all-items price parity.
Quick Compare
Equivalent salary in Texas
$70,172
You can earn less
-$9,828
Cost of living change
-12.3%
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities by state, 2024 reference year. Excludes state and local taxes; see our taxes page for the full picture, or use the full calculator.
All 50 states
2026 Cost of Living Index
| State | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArkansasAR | 1 | 86.9 | 58.2 | 93.6 | 74.7 | 95.3 | $192,800 | $830 |
| MississippiMS | 2 | 87.0 | 56.5 | 96.2 | 78.4 | 96.1 | $162,100 | $810 |
| IowaIA | 3 | 87.8 | 65.3 | 93.7 | 83.3 | 92.9 | $208,700 | $890 |
| OklahomaOK | 4 | 87.8 | 62.8 | 93.8 | 73.9 | 95.5 | $196,500 | $880 |
| LouisianaLA | 5 | 88.2 | 63.1 | 93.7 | 71.5 | 95.7 | $198,200 | $930 |
| South DakotaSD | 6 | 88.6 | 67.6 | 95.5 | 79.7 | 91.9 | $285,400 | $920 |
| AlabamaAL | 7 | 88.8 | 61.8 | 96.4 | 84.6 | 96.7 | $216,500 | $920 |
| North DakotaND | 8 | 89.0 | 71.4 | 95.7 | 73.7 | 91.2 | $248,500 | $920 |
| West VirginiaWV | 9 | 89.5 | 54.2 | 96.5 | 92.2 | 99.9 | $145,600 | $780 |
| KansasKS | 10 | 90.1 | 71.2 | 94.0 | 88.4 | 93.8 | $207,600 | $940 |
| NebraskaNE | 11 | 90.1 | 75.2 | 94.1 | 75.6 | 93.0 | $246,800 | $1,010 |
| KentuckyKY | 12 | 90.2 | 64.3 | 96.0 | 75.3 | 97.3 | $198,500 | $870 |
| MissouriMO | 13 | 90.8 | 69.9 | 96.3 | 79.4 | 95.2 | $222,300 | $950 |
| TennesseeTN | 14 | 91.9 | 79.1 | 96.2 | 72.1 | 95.1 | $298,500 | $1,180 |
| New MexicoNM | 15 | 92.2 | 73.6 | 96.1 | 77.9 | 98.5 | $287,500 | $990 |
| WyomingWY | 16 | 92.7 | 71.1 | 95.4 | 78.4 | 100.4 | $298,500 | $920 |
| OhioOH | 17 | 92.8 | 73.0 | 93.7 | 95.8 | 98.9 | $210,500 | $960 |
| IndianaIN | 18 | 93.3 | 73.9 | 95.5 | 85.5 | 99.1 | $227,800 | $970 |
| South CarolinaSC | 19 | 93.7 | 80.5 | 96.3 | 88.3 | 98.3 | $278,600 | $1,180 |
| WisconsinWI | 20 | 94.1 | 79.3 | 94.3 | 89.9 | 99.5 | $265,800 | $1,080 |
| North CarolinaNC | 21 | 94.3 | 81.4 | 96.6 | 88.6 | 98.2 | $318,600 | $1,220 |
| MontanaMT | 22 | 94.6 | 84.6 | 96.0 | 72.3 | 98.7 | $415,200 | $1,120 |
| IdahoID | 23 | 95.5 | 90.0 | 96.3 | 70.4 | 99.0 | $420,300 | $1,150 |
| MichiganMI | 24 | 96.2 | 82.3 | 96.0 | 100.2 | 100.9 | $235,400 | $1,050 |
| GeorgiaGA | 25 | 96.3 | 88.7 | 98.9 | 92.8 | 97.3 | $310,200 | $1,340 |
| MaineME | 26 | 97.1 | 78.9 | 97.2 | 135.2 | 103.2 | $365,800 | $1,280 |
| TexasTX | 27 | 97.1 | 96.5 | 98.1 | 87.5 | 97.1 | $298,700 | $1,320 |
| PennsylvaniaPA | 28 | 97.6 | 85.1 | 99.4 | 109.3 | 99.8 | $268,500 | $1,180 |
| VermontVT | 29 | 98.0 | 86.5 | 97.3 | 125.8 | 101.6 | $378,500 | $1,380 |
| MinnesotaMN | 30 | 98.6 | 91.3 | 100.5 | 90.8 | 100.2 | $318,500 | $1,220 |
| UtahUT | 31 | 98.9 | 107.8 | 96.4 | 78.7 | 99.0 | $475,800 | $1,380 |
| DelawareDE | 32 | 99.8 | 102.0 | 96.2 | 103.8 | 101.2 | $355,400 | $1,310 |
| IllinoisIL | 33 | 100.0 | 93.9 | 103.8 | 85.0 | 100.2 | $262,500 | $1,220 |
| NevadaNV | 34 | 100.0 | 114.1 | 96.3 | 90.5 | 98.7 | $435,600 | $1,480 |
| ArizonaAZ | 35 | 100.7 | 106.8 | 95.4 | 92.3 | 102.8 | $394,200 | $1,380 |
| VirginiaVA | 36 | 101.1 | 106.8 | 100.4 | 92.2 | 100.2 | $385,200 | $1,480 |
| Rhode IslandRI | 37 | 102.3 | 105.6 | 97.2 | 146.7 | 102.8 | $418,500 | $1,520 |
| AlaskaAK | 38 | 102.4 | 93.8 | 106.3 | 119.0 | 102.2 | $345,700 | $1,330 |
| ColoradoCO | 39 | 103.1 | 127.4 | 98.7 | 85.0 | 99.6 | $525,600 | $1,680 |
| FloridaFL | 40 | 103.4 | 122.1 | 98.1 | 90.1 | 101.3 | $398,500 | $1,620 |
| OregonOR | 41 | 103.4 | 108.6 | 105.3 | 107.0 | 100.3 | $498,500 | $1,520 |
| ConnecticutCT | 42 | 103.6 | 117.0 | 97.3 | 146.5 | 102.7 | $395,100 | $1,520 |
| New HampshireNH | 43 | 104.2 | 114.9 | 98.6 | 133.7 | 103.9 | $425,800 | $1,580 |
| MarylandMD | 44 | 105.0 | 121.1 | 102.5 | 110.9 | 101.6 | $398,500 | $1,620 |
| MassachusettsMA | 45 | 105.8 | 128.1 | 98.8 | 152.1 | 102.9 | $598,700 | $2,280 |
| WashingtonWA | 46 | 107.0 | 126.0 | 104.4 | 92.9 | 103.9 | $568,500 | $1,780 |
| New YorkNY | 47 | 107.9 | 122.2 | 107.3 | 134.4 | 104.1 | $435,800 | $1,780 |
| New JerseyNJ | 48 | 108.8 | 134.3 | 107.1 | 114.2 | 103.5 | $472,500 | $1,720 |
| HawaiiHI | 49 | 110.0 | 125.3 | 111.6 | 190.2 | 102.9 | $978,200 | $2,350 |
| CaliforniaCA | 50 | 110.7 | 154.3 | 106.1 | 158.9 | 102.6 | $785,300 | $2,120 |
Price parity columns: US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by State (table SARPP), 2024 reference year, released 19 February 2026. Only the all-items column is benchmarked to exactly 100.0 for the nation; the four component columns are stated against that same national level, so the US reads 100.6 housing, 99.6 goods, 98.4 utilities and 100.1 other services. BEA publishes no grocery, healthcare or transportation parity, so those columns are not shown. Median home and rent columns come from US Census ACS estimates. Click any column header to sort.
Key findings
What the price parities actually say
1.27x
California costs 1.27x Arkansas on all items
The whole 50-state range runs 86.9 to 110.7. On all items the states sit closer together than city-level comparisons imply.
54.2 to 154.3
Housing rents spread far wider than the all-items figure
West Virginia has the lowest housing parity and California the highest, against a US housing level of 100.6.
9 states
Have no state income tax
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming. But sales and property tax often offset.
$100 = $127
$100 in Arkansas has the same buying power as $127 in California
Salary purchasing power is the metric that matters more than raw cost. See the salary comparison page.
32 of 50
States are below the national average
Concentrated in the South, Plains and Midwest. The Northeast and West Coast dominate the upper end.
70.4 to 190.2
Utilities are the most dispersed component BEA publishes
Idaho is the cheapest state for water, electricity and gas; Hawaii the dearest, against a US utilities level of 98.4.
Continue reading
Dive deeper into the data
Cheapest States
Top 10 affordable states with full breakdowns.
Read more →
Most Expensive States
Top 10 priciest states and what drives the cost.
Read more →
2026 Increase by State
COLA 2.8% vs 3.4% inflation, by census region.
Read more →
Compare Two States
Side-by-side salary and category comparison.
Read more →
Tax Burden by State
Income, property and sales tax for all 50.
Read more →
Best States to Retire
Cost + tax + healthcare composite ranking.
Read more →
Best for Families
Cost + childcare + healthcare composite.
Read more →
Housing Costs
Median home price, rent, mortgage by state.
Read more →
Salary Purchasing Power
What $80k, $100k, $150k actually buys.
Read more →
About the data
What the price parities do and don't measure.
A Regional Price Parity is a price-only measure. It compares what the same basket of consumption costs in each state against a US benchmark of 100, so a state at 110 is 10% more expensive than the national level and a state at 90 is 10% cheaper. The series is published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, a US federal statistical agency, from the same price data that underpins real personal income by state.
What it does NOT include: state and local taxes, savings rates, quality of life, education quality, climate, crime, or commute times. BEA also publishes no grocery, healthcare, transportation or miscellaneous parity, so this site shows none. We cover taxes on a separate page so you can build a more complete picture of what your money will actually do in each state.
Frequently Asked
Cost of living, answered
What is the cheapest state to live in?
Arkansas, at an all-items price parity of 86.9 against a US benchmark of 100. Housing rents are the widest gap: Arkansas's housing parity is 58.2, the median home is $192,800 and a 2-bedroom rents for $830 on average. Mississippi (87.0), Iowa (87.8), Oklahoma (87.8) follow closely. The trade-off is wages: median household income in these states is also below the national average.
What is the most expensive state to live in?
California at 110.7, 1.27 times Arkansas. Housing rents carry most of it: the California housing parity is 154.3 and the median home costs $785,300. The next four are Hawaii (110.0), New Jersey (108.8), New York (107.9), Washington (107.0). The whole 50-state range runs from 86.9 to 110.7, so the gap between the cheapest and dearest state is narrower than headline city comparisons suggest.
How is cost of living calculated?
The figures on this site are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities by state (table SARPP), reference year 2024, released February 19, 2026. BEA compares the price level of the same consumption basket across states and expresses each state against a US benchmark of 100. Alongside the all-items figure BEA publishes four component parities: goods, services housing (rents), services utilities and services other. It does not publish a grocery, healthcare, transportation or miscellaneous parity, so this site shows none. The parities exclude state and local taxes. See our methodology page for sources and limitations.
Does cost of living include taxes?
No. The BEA price parities measure what consumer goods and services cost, not what government takes. State income tax, property tax and sales tax all sit outside the measure. This is a major gap. Texas has no income tax but high property tax. Oregon has no sales tax but income tax up to 9.9%. To see the full picture, layer the price parities against the Tax Foundation's state-by-state burden data, which we summarise on the taxes page.
Which states are below the national average for cost of living?
32 of the 50 states have an all-items parity under 100: Arkansas, Mississippi, Iowa, Oklahoma, Louisiana, South Dakota, Alabama, North Dakota, West Virginia, Kansas, Nebraska, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, New Mexico, Wyoming, Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Montana, Idaho, Michigan, Georgia, Maine, Texas, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Minnesota, Utah, Delaware. The cluster is concentrated in the South, Plains and Midwest. Housing rents are where the gap is widest; West Virginia has the lowest housing parity in the country at 54.2.
How often is the index updated?
BEA publishes Regional Price Parities once a year and revises the back series with each release. The current vintage is reference year 2024, released February 19, 2026, and this site was re-sourced against it on 2026-09-06. The footer rates-verified stamp records when the rest of the figures were last reviewed (verified September 2026). Median home prices are sourced from Census ACS five-year estimates and Zillow ZHVI. Tax rates use the Tax Foundation's most recent state burden release. Healthcare and utility figures use the most recent KFF and EIA releases.