Cost of living for every county in America.

The cost of living in the United States varies dramatically from county to county. A dollar stretches much further in rural Appalachia than it does in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the difference is not marginal. Median rent in the cheapest US counties is under $500/month, while the most expensive counties exceed $2,500/month. Home values show an even wider gap, ranging from under $50,000 to well over $1,000,000.

CostByCounty tracks housing costs for all 3,142 US counties using data from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS). We cover four key metrics: median gross rent (what renters actually pay), median home value (what homes are worth), monthly owner costs (mortgage, insurance, taxes), and the Census GRAPI (median gross rent as a percentage of renter-household income).

The 30% rule is a widely used benchmark: if a household spends more than 30% of gross income on housing, it is considered “cost-burdened.” Our affordability ratings on each county page reflect this standard. Nationally, the median household income is $80,734 and the median rent is $1,413/month, a ratio of about 21%.

Whether you are researching a potential move, evaluating remote work locations, comparing counties for retirement, or simply curious about housing costs across America, CostByCounty provides free, transparent data sourced directly from the Census Bureau.