Yahoo Finance How Much You’re Spending on Monthly and Annual Expenses in Every State
Did you know that Alaskans pay 83% more for utilities than Louisianans? That Hawaiians spend nearly five times as much as West Virginians for cost of living expenses? Or that residents of California pay 43% more for healthcare than residents of Mississippi?
These wide deltas demonstrate how wildly monthly expenses can vary across the U.S. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which are higher demand for housing and higher costs to deliver goods for the more expensive locales.
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A recent GOBankingRates study lays out the state-to-state discrepancies in more detail. The following alphabetical list — based on the GBR study — provides the overall cost-of-living index, the average monthly expenses and the average annual expenses for each U.S. state, plus the District of Columbia.
As you’re reviewing the overall cost-of-living index for each state, keep in mind that America as a whole represents the median with a score of 100. The further below 100 states are scored, the cheaper the cost of living. The further above 100, the higher the cost of living.
And if you’re planning a move to a state like Hawaii, Massachusetts, Alaska or California, bring your wallet.
Here are the average expenditures in all 50 states:
Alabama
Overall cost-of-living index: 88.3
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,722
Average annual expenditure cost: $32,664
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Alaska
Overall cost-of-living index: 125.2
Average monthly expenditure cost: $4,157
Average annual expenditure cost: $49,887
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Arizona
Overall cost-of-living index: 108.4
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,507
Average annual expenditure cost: $42,083
Arkansas
Overall cost-of-living index: 89.0
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,730
Average annual expenditure cost: $32,759
California
Overall cost-of-living index: 138.5
Average monthly expenditure cost: $4,766
Average annual expenditure cost: $57,195
Colorado
Overall cost-of-living index: 105.1
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,388
Average annual expenditure cost: $40,652
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Connecticut
Overall cost-of-living index: 112.8
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,664
Average annual expenditure cost: $43,963
Delaware
Overall cost-of-living index: 101.1
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,211
Average annual expenditure cost: $38,534
District of Columbia
Overall cost-of-living index: 146.8
Average monthly expenditure cost: $5,039
Average annual expenditure cost: $60,473
Florida
Overall cost-of-living index: 100.7
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,255
Average annual expenditure cost: $39,065
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Georgia
Overall cost-of-living index: 90.8
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,848
Average annual expenditure cost: $34,180
Hawaii
Overall cost-of-living index: 180.3
Average monthly expenditure cost: $6,402
Average annual expenditure cost: $76,828
Idaho
Overall cost-of-living index: 98.6
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,142
Average annual expenditure cost: $37,706
Illinois
Overall cost-of-living index: 92.1
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,908
Average annual expenditure cost: $34,893
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Indiana
Overall cost-of-living index: 91.0
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,891
Average annual expenditure cost: $ 34,694
Iowa
Overall cost-of-living index: 90.3
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,854
Average annual expenditure cost: $34,242
Kansas
Overall cost-of-living index: 87.1
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,753
Average annual expenditure cost: $33,031
Kentucky
Overall cost-of-living index: 92.0
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,795
Average annual expenditure cost: $33,534
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Louisiana
Overall cost-of-living index: 91.0
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,874
Average annual expenditure cost: $34,486
Maine
Overall cost-of-living index: 109.9
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,533
Average annual expenditure cost: $42,393
Maryland
Overall cost-of-living index: 116.5
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,829
Average annual expenditure cost: $45,944
Massachusetts
Overall cost-of-living index: 146.5
Average monthly expenditure cost: $4,983
Average annual expenditure cost: $59,797
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Michigan
Overall cost-of-living index: 90.6
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,878
Average annual expenditure cost: $34,540
Minnesota
Overall cost-of-living index: 94.1
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,993
Average annual expenditure cost: $35,911
Mississippi
Overall cost-of-living index: 86.3
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,711
Average annual expenditure cost: $32,529
Missouri
Overall cost-of-living index: 88.5
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,800
Average annual expenditure cost: $33,594
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Montana
Overall cost-of-living index: 102.9
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,289
Average annual expenditure cost: $39,468
Nebraska
Overall cost-of-living index: 90.9
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,868
Average annual expenditure cost: $34,418
Nevada
Overall cost-of-living index: 101.0
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,363
Average annual expenditure cost: $40,354
New Hampshire
Overall cost-of-living index: 114.1
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,595
Average annual expenditure cost: $43,139
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New Jersey
Overall cost-of-living index: 113.9
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,721
Average annual expenditure cost: $44,649
New Mexico
Overall cost-of-living index: 94.0
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,982
Average annual expenditure cost: $35,780
New York
Overall cost-of-living index: 125.9
Average monthly expenditure cost: $4,233
Average annual expenditure cost: $50,801
North Carolina
Overall cost-of-living index: 95.3
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,056
Average annual expenditure cost: $36,674
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North Dakota
Overall cost-of-living index: 94.6
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,033
Average annual expenditure cost: $36,395
Ohio
Overall cost-of-living index: 94.7
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,982
Average annual expenditure cost: $35,788
Oklahoma
Overall cost-of-living index: 86.2
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,714
Average annual expenditure cost: $32,566
Oregon
Overall cost-of-living index: 114.7
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,806
Average annual expenditure cost: $45,667
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Pennsylvania
Overall cost-of-living index: 95.6
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,025
Average annual expenditure cost: $36,299
Rhode Island
Overall cost-of-living index: 110.7
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,479
Average annual expenditure cost: $41,753
South Carolina
Overall cost-of-living index: 95.3
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,991
Average annual expenditure cost: $35,897
South Dakota
Overall cost-of-living index: 92.4
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,966
Average annual expenditure cost: $35,594
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Tennessee
Overall cost-of-living index: 90.3
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,834
Average annual expenditure cost: $34,007
Texas
Overall cost-of-living index: 92.7
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,924
Average annual expenditure cost: $35,094
Utah
Overall cost-of-living index: 103.2
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,308
Average annual expenditure cost: $39,700
Vermont
Overall cost-of-living index: 115.3
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,792
Average annual expenditure cost: $45,500
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Virginia
Overall cost-of-living index: 101.9
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,284
Average annual expenditure cost: $39,406
Washington
Overall cost-of-living index: 116.0
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,822
Average annual expenditure cost: $45,863
West Virginia
Overall cost-of-living index: 87.7
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,735
Average annual expenditure cost: $32,817
Wisconsin
Overall cost-of-living index: 95.1
Average monthly expenditure cost: $3,079
Average annual expenditure cost: $36,949
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Wyoming
Overall cost-of-living index: 92.4
Average monthly expenditure cost: $2,903
Average annual expenditure cost: $34,834
Methodology: To determine the average monthly expenses (minus housing costs) for each state, GOBankingRates first sourced cost-of-living indexes from the Missouri Economic and Research Information Center for groceries, housing, healthcare, utilities, transportation and miscellaneous. GBR then calculated the average expenditure costs for each state, using the national average expenditure costs for each cost-of-living index for all consumers (sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey). The expenditures were added to determine the total annual and monthly cost of living for each state, minus housing. All data is up to date as of June 24, 2024.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Much You’re Spending on Monthly and Annual Expenses in Every State
