Cost of Living — Top 50 US Metros
Side-by-side cost-of-living analysis for the 50 largest US metros. Housing, taxes, salary requirements, and the practical tradeoffs of each city. Sourced from C2ER Cost of Living Index, BLS, and state tax authorities.
Most expensive metros
These cities have the highest overall cost-of-living index relative to the US average.
- HawaiiHonoluluIndex 192 · $960,000 median
- New YorkNew YorkIndex 187 · $760,000 median
- CaliforniaSan FranciscoIndex 186 · $1,200,000 median
- MassachusettsBostonIndex 156 · $680,000 median
- CaliforniaLos AngelesIndex 154 · $875,000 median
- CaliforniaSan DiegoIndex 154 · $830,000 median
- WashingtonSeattleIndex 148 · $775,000 median
- District of ColumbiaWashingtonIndex 144 · $645,000 median
Most affordable metros
Cities with overall cost-of-living below the US average.
- TennesseeMemphisIndex 82 · $225,000 median
- AlabamaBirminghamIndex 82 · $225,000 median
- OklahomaOklahoma CityIndex 84 · $225,000 median
- TexasEl PasoIndex 85 · $210,000 median
- OhioClevelandIndex 86 · $235,000 median
- KentuckyLouisvilleIndex 87 · $252,000 median
- New YorkBuffaloIndex 87 · $225,000 median
- TexasSan AntonioIndex 88 · $275,000 median
No state income tax
Cities in states with no state income tax — significant advantage for high earners, freelancers, and remote workers.
Best housing affordability (rent vs. income)
Cities where median rent consumes the smallest percentage of median household income. The 30% threshold is the HUD definition of housing-burdened — these cities are well below it.
- Oklahoma City, OK22.6% of income on rent · $900– $1,400
- Columbus, OH22.9% of income on rent · $1,000– $1,600
- St. Louis, MO23.0% of income on rent · $950– $1,500
- Cincinnati, OH23.6% of income on rent · $1,000– $1,600
- Houston, TX24.0% of income on rent · $1,200– $1,800
- Minneapolis, MN24.0% of income on rent · $1,300– $1,900
Browse by state
Alabama (1)
California (5)
Colorado (1)
Connecticut (1)
District of Columbia (1)
Florida (3)
Georgia (1)
Hawaii (1)
Illinois (1)
Indiana (1)
Kentucky (1)
Louisiana (1)
Maryland (1)
Massachusetts (1)
Michigan (1)
Minnesota (1)
Missouri (2)
Nevada (1)
New Mexico (1)
Ohio (3)
Oklahoma (1)
Oregon (1)
Pennsylvania (2)
Utah (1)
Virginia (1)
Washington (1)
Wisconsin (1)
Relocation cost checklist — free
Six emails covering everything from state income tax differentials to moving-cost negotiation tactics. Built for freelancers and remote workers.
How we calculate cost of living
Each city page combines four data sources:
- C2ER Cost of Living Index — the standard cross-metro index used by economists and relocation services. US national average = 100. Sub-indices for housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, healthcare, miscellaneous.
- MIT Living Wage Calculator for absolute minimum-cost-of-living figures by household type. The single adult without children figure shows what someone needs to cover basic expenses with no luxuries.
- BLS metro-area data for median household income, top employers, and labor force composition.
- State revenue departments for income tax, sales tax, and effective property tax rates.
How to use these pages
- Pick the city you're considering moving to (or already live in).
- Look at the overall index and the housing index first — those are the biggest swings between cities.
- Check the comfortable salary figure to see what you'd need to maintain a middle-class lifestyle.
- Compare to similar cities at the bottom of each page — easy way to see alternative cities with similar economics.
- For relocation: pair this with the Take-Home Pay calculator to compare actual after-tax income across cities.