housing costs

Cost of Living by State Comparison: A Practical Guide

California's 2024 Regional Price Parity was 110.7, while Arkansas's was 86.9, meaning the same standardized basket cost about 10.7% more in California and 13.1% less in Arkansas than the U.S. average. That gap identifies a price difference, not the state where your household will necessarily have more money left after housing, taxes, insurance, childcare, healthcare, and commuting. A useful cost of living by state comparison starts with the broad index, then tests the result against your i