Cost of Living by State

Compare housing costs and affordability across all 50 states and DC, ranked by average monthly rent.

All States Ranked by Cost of Living

Sorted by average monthly rent — most expensive first. Click any state to see county-level data.

Rank	State	Avg. Monthly Rent	Avg. Home Value	Avg. Owner Cost	Affordability
1	District of Columbia1 counties	$1,900/mo	$724,600	$2,563/mo	Very Expensive
2	Hawaii5 counties	$1,688/mo	$758,975	$1,823/mo	Expensive
3	California58 counties	$1,618/mo	$569,022	$1,822/mo	Expensive
4	New Jersey21 counties	$1,577/mo	$402,957	$2,096/mo	Expensive
5	Massachusetts14 counties	$1,558/mo	$587,193	$2,058/mo	Expensive
6	Maryland24 counties	$1,415/mo	$350,738	$1,635/mo	Expensive
7	Connecticut9 counties	$1,409/mo	$353,956	$1,894/mo	Expensive
8	Rhode Island5 counties	$1,362/mo	$434,100	$1,861/mo	Moderate
9	Delaware3 counties	$1,295/mo	$324,567	$1,308/mo	Moderate
10	New Hampshire10 counties	$1,273/mo	$316,040	$1,559/mo	Moderate
11	Colorado64 counties	$1,253/mo	$398,069	$1,207/mo	Moderate
12	Florida67 counties	$1,233/mo	$257,245	$981/mo	Moderate
13	Alaska30 counties	$1,221/mo	$268,870	$980/mo	Moderate
14	Washington39 counties	$1,202/mo	$397,674	$1,269/mo	Moderate
15	Virginia133 counties	$1,140/mo	$278,065	$1,162/mo	Moderate
16	Oregon36 counties	$1,137/mo	$357,142	$1,198/mo	Moderate
17	New York62 counties	$1,133/mo	$267,155	$1,327/mo	Moderate
18	Nevada17 counties	$1,127/mo	$300,638	$1,021/mo	Moderate
19	Vermont14 counties	$1,117/mo	$273,021	$1,353/mo	Moderate
20	Utah29 counties	$1,101/mo	$377,586	$1,150/mo	Moderate
21	Arizona15 counties	$1,016/mo	$243,360	$829/mo	Moderate
22	Maine16 counties	$969/mo	$236,581	$1,061/mo	Affordable
23	Texas254 counties	$963/mo	$171,960	$846/mo	Affordable
24	Pennsylvania67 counties	$960/mo	$200,333	$995/mo	Affordable
25	South Carolina46 counties	$945/mo	$181,398	$771/mo	Affordable
26	North Carolina100 counties	$938/mo	$214,164	$905/mo	Affordable
27	Wyoming23 counties	$937/mo	$315,548	$1,008/mo	Affordable
28	Georgia159 counties	$927/mo	$180,827	$877/mo	Affordable
29	Idaho44 counties	$919/mo	$311,932	$943/mo	Affordable
30	Minnesota87 counties	$915/mo	$222,532	$1,092/mo	Affordable
31	Wisconsin72 counties	$891/mo	$217,832	$1,057/mo	Affordable
32	Indiana92 counties	$883/mo	$178,101	$928/mo	Affordable
33	New Mexico33 counties	$876/mo	$181,648	$687/mo	Affordable
34	Louisiana64 counties	$873/mo	$161,894	$703/mo	Affordable
35	Michigan83 counties	$873/mo	$182,224	$902/mo	Affordable
36	Ohio88 counties	$873/mo	$182,492	$952/mo	Affordable
37	Tennessee95 counties	$860/mo	$201,611	$770/mo	Affordable
38	Illinois102 counties	$837/mo	$146,132	$939/mo	Affordable
39	Montana56 counties	$825/mo	$251,520	$823/mo	Affordable
40	Oklahoma77 counties	$814/mo	$142,268	$728/mo	Affordable
41	Iowa99 counties	$812/mo	$160,608	$929/mo	Affordable
42	Alabama67 counties	$799/mo	$149,701	$691/mo	Affordable
43	Kansas105 counties	$787/mo	$131,109	$836/mo	Affordable
44	Nebraska93 counties	$783/mo	$152,847	$834/mo	Affordable
45	Mississippi82 counties	$782/mo	$127,595	$660/mo	Affordable
46	Kentucky120 counties	$771/mo	$150,167	$734/mo	Affordable
47	North Dakota53 counties	$770/mo	$168,606	$766/mo	Affordable
48	Missouri115 counties	$768/mo	$162,432	$783/mo	Affordable
49	Arkansas75 counties	$760/mo	$131,967	$646/mo	Affordable
50	West Virginia55 counties	$760/mo	$141,022	$580/mo	Affordable
51	South Dakota66 counties	$756/mo	$166,130	$824/mo	Affordable