All 50 states ranked by overall cost of living index. See which states stretch your dollar the furthest.
| # | State | COL Index ▲ | Visual | Income | COL | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Mississippi | 83 | $46,500 | 83 | A+ | |
| #2 | Arkansas | 84 | $52,100 | 84 | A+ | |
| #3 | West Virginia | 84 | $48,000 | 84 | A+ | |
| #4 | Oklahoma | 86 | $55,800 | 86 | A+ | |
| #5 | Alabama | 87 | $56,200 | 87 | A+ | |
| #6 | Kentucky | 87 | $55,600 | 87 | A+ | |
| #7 | Missouri | 88 | $61,000 | 88 | A+ | |
| #8 | Kansas | 89 | $62,100 | 89 | A+ | |
| #9 | Michigan | 89 | $63,400 | 89 | A+ | |
| #10 | Ohio | 89 | $59,300 | 89 | A+ | |
| #11 | Indiana | 90 | $58,600 | 90 | A+ | |
| #12 | Iowa | 90 | $63,200 | 90 | A+ | |
| #13 | Louisiana | 91 | $52,300 | 91 | A+ | |
| #14 | Nebraska | 91 | $66,500 | 91 | A+ | |
| #15 | New Mexico | 91 | $53,000 | 91 | A+ | |
| #16 | South Dakota | 91 | $62,100 | 91 | A+ | |
| #17 | Tennessee | 91 | $59,700 | 91 | A+ | |
| #18 | South Carolina | 92 | $56,200 | 92 | A+ | |
| #19 | Georgia | 93 | $63,400 | 93 | A+ | |
| #20 | Illinois | 93 | $72,200 | 93 | A+ | |
| #21 | North Dakota | 93 | $64,800 | 93 | A+ | |
| #22 | Texas | 93 | $67,300 | 93 | A+ | |
| #23 | Wisconsin | 93 | $64,800 | 93 | A+ | |
| #24 | Pennsylvania | 94 | $67,600 | 94 | A+ | |
| #25 | North Carolina | 95 | $61,000 | 95 | A+ | |
| #26 | Wyoming | 95 | $65,000 | 95 | A+ | |
| #27 | Idaho | 97 | $62,300 | 97 | A+ | |
| #28 | Minnesota | 97 | $77,700 | 97 | A+ | |
| #29 | Delaware | 102 | $69,100 | 102 | A | |
| #30 | Arizona | 103 | $65,600 | 103 | A | |
| #31 | Florida | 103 | $63,100 | 103 | A | |
| #32 | Montana | 103 | $60,600 | 103 | A | |
| #33 | Utah | 103 | $75,600 | 103 | A | |
| #34 | Virginia | 103 | $80,600 | 103 | A | |
| #35 | Nevada | 104 | $64,200 | 104 | A | |
| #36 | Colorado | 105 | $80,200 | 105 | A | |
| #37 | Maine | 109 | $63,200 | 109 | A | |
| #38 | Rhode Island | 109 | $71,200 | 109 | A | |
| #39 | Vermont | 110 | $63,400 | 110 | A | |
| #40 | New Hampshire | 112 | $83,300 | 112 | A | |
| #41 | Oregon | 113 | $71,200 | 113 | A | |
| #42 | Washington | 115 | $82,100 | 115 | A | |
| #43 | Maryland | 118 | $90,200 | 118 | B+ | |
| #44 | Connecticut | 121 | $83,800 | 121 | B+ | |
| #45 | New Jersey | 121 | $87,700 | 121 | B+ | |
| #46 | Alaska | 127 | $77,800 | 127 | B+ | |
| #47 | Massachusetts | 135 | $89,700 | 135 | B | |
| #48 | New York | 139 | $75,900 | 139 | B | |
| #49 | California | 142 | $84,900 | 142 | B | |
| #50 | Hawaii | 190 | $84,900 | 190 | F |
Based on our analysis of cost of living across all 50 states, Mississippi ranks #1 with 83, while Hawaii ranks last at 190. The national average is 102.
States with no income tax (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming) generally perform well on affordability metrics due to higher effective take-home pay.
The gap between the best and worst state is significant: 107. This means your choice of state can make a dramatic difference in your cost of living. Use our cost of living calculator to run the numbers for your specific situation.
Mississippi ranks #1 with 83. Arkansas and West Virginia round out the top 3.
Hawaii ranks last (#50) with 190. California and New York are also among the worst.
The average across all 50 states is 102. The median is 95.
This data is calculated using the latest available median income, housing prices, cost of living indices, tax rates, and expense data for each state. Our methodology uses consistent formulas applied to all 50 states for fair comparison.