Efficient Dollar

Cost of Living by State

Browse cost of living indexes for every U.S. state. See how housing, childcare, and taxes stack up, then click into a state for a deeper breakdown.

This hub pulls together all of Efficient Dollar's cost of living data at the state level. Use it to quickly scan which states are more affordable overall, then drill down into individual locations within each state.

For a fully customized view, you can also use the Cost of Living Calculator to compare specific ZIP codes, cities, or counties. To see how your income fits into each location, pair this with the Income Percentile Calculator and the Monthly Budget Calculator .

Browse states

Select a state below to view its cost of living overview, including housing costs, childcare estimates, and tax burden compared to the U.S. average.

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

How to use this state hub

Start by opening the state you're interested in living in (or moving to). Each state page summarizes housing costs, childcare, and taxes, then links you to more detailed tools so you can plug in your actual income and budget.

Together, these pages help you answer questions like “Is it affordable for my family to live in this state?” and “How much more would I need to earn to move from my current state to another?”