Most expensive US states by cost of living

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All 51 states (+DC) ranked by MERIC cost-of-living index. Most expensive first.

The most expensive states pay for that cost with concentrated economies (tech, finance, federal payroll), tight housing supply, and structural constraints (geography, regulation).

Hawaii (186.9) leads by a wide margin — every imported good carries shipping costs. DC, Massachusetts, California, and New York round out the top 5 with housing as the dominant driver.

High-COL states often have higher wages too — the question is whether the ratio works for your specific job and family.

1Hawaii186.9+86.9 vs US
2District of Columbia145.6+45.6 vs US
3Massachusetts144.3+44.3 vs US
4California142.2+42.2 vs US
5Alaska127.1+27.1 vs US
6New York125.1+25.1 vs US
7Maryland116.5+16.5 vs US
8Washington116.0+16.0 vs US
9Vermont114.6+14.6 vs US
10New Hampshire114.1+14.1 vs US
11Oregon113.4+13.4 vs US
12New Jersey113.4+13.4 vs US
13Maine113.1+13.1 vs US
14Connecticut111.8+11.8 vs US
15Rhode Island110.8+10.8 vs US
16Colorado105.2+5.2 vs US
17Montana104.7+4.7 vs US
18Florida103.1+3.1 vs US
19Utah102.3+2.3 vs US
20Arizona102.3+2.3 vs US
21Virginia101.6+1.6 vs US
22Nevada101.3+1.3 vs US
23Delaware100.6+0.6 vs US
24Idaho99.0-1.0 vs US
25North Carolina95.7-4.3 vs US
26South Carolina95.3-4.7 vs US
27Wisconsin95.2-4.8 vs US
28Pennsylvania94.7-5.3 vs US
29Minnesota94.7-5.3 vs US
30North Dakota93.0-7.0 vs US
31Ohio92.9-7.1 vs US
32Texas92.7-7.3 vs US
33Wyoming92.4-7.6 vs US
34South Dakota92.4-7.6 vs US
35New Mexico92.0-8.0 vs US
36Kentucky91.7-8.3 vs US
37Indiana91.5-8.5 vs US
38Georgia91.0-9.0 vs US
39Illinois90.8-9.2 vs US
40Nebraska90.7-9.3 vs US
41Michigan90.6-9.4 vs US
42Louisiana90.5-9.5 vs US
43Tennessee90.2-9.8 vs US
44Iowa89.4-10.6 vs US
45Arkansas89.0-11.0 vs US
46Missouri88.6-11.4 vs US
47Alabama88.1-11.9 vs US
48West Virginia87.7-12.3 vs US
49Kansas87.7-12.3 vs US
50Oklahoma86.3-13.7 vs US
51Mississippi86.1-13.9 vs US

Source: MERIC Q4 2024 Cost of Living Index. US average = 100. Each state link goes to its full tax + retirement overview.