📊 Free Comparison Tool
Cost of Living
City Comparison
Compare living expenses across 137+ US cities — housing, groceries, utilities, transport & healthcare
🔍 Compare Any Two Cities
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🔥 Popular Comparisons
New York City vs Los Angeles
187 vs 166
Los Angeles is 21% cheaper
Austin vs Denver
107 vs 118
Austin is 11% cheaper
Nashville vs Atlanta
102 vs 107
Nashville is 5% cheaper
Miami vs Tampa
127 vs 102
Tampa is 25% cheaper
Seattle vs Portland
152 vs 130
Portland is 22% cheaper
Chicago vs Houston
107 vs 96
Houston is 11% cheaper
San Francisco vs New York City
190 vs 187
New York City is 3% cheaper
Dallas vs Austin
103 vs 107
Dallas is 4% cheaper
Phoenix vs Las Vegas
100 vs 101
Phoenix is 1% cheaper
Boston vs Washington
162 vs 152
Washington is 10% cheaper
Charlotte vs Raleigh
100 vs 102
Charlotte is 2% cheaper
Denver vs Salt Lake City
118 vs 107
Salt Lake City is 11% cheaper
Nashville vs Charlotte
102 vs 100
Charlotte is 2% cheaper
San Diego vs Los Angeles
160 vs 166
San Diego is 6% cheaper
Nashville vs Murfreesboro
102 vs 93
Murfreesboro is 9% cheaper
Orlando vs Tampa
100 vs 102
Orlando is 2% cheaper
Minneapolis vs Chicago
106 vs 107
Minneapolis is 1% cheaper
Richmond vs Charlotte
103 vs 100
Charlotte is 3% cheaper
🟢 Most Affordable Cities
Jackson, MS
Index: 82
$125,000 median home · $900/mo rent
Lubbock, TX
Index: 83
$175,000 median home · $950/mo rent
Memphis, TN
Index: 84
$155,000 median home · $1,000/mo rent
Little Rock, AR
Index: 84
$170,000 median home · $950/mo rent
Wichita, KS
Index: 84
$165,000 median home · $900/mo rent
El Paso, TX
Index: 85
$185,000 median home · $1,000/mo rent
Tulsa, OK
Index: 85
$175,000 median home · $950/mo rent
Charleston, WV
Index: 85
$135,000 median home · $850/mo rent
Birmingham, AL
Index: 87
$165,000 median home · $1,000/mo rent
Cleveland, OH
Index: 87
$100,000 median home · $900/mo rent
Oklahoma City, OK
Index: 87
$195,000 median home · $1,000/mo rent
Corpus Christi, TX
Index: 87
$195,000 median home · $1,100/mo rent
🔴 Most Expensive Cities
Manhattan, NY
Index: 235
$1,150,000 median home · $4,200/mo rent
Brooklyn, NY
Index: 195
$780,000 median home · $2,900/mo rent
San Francisco, CA
Index: 190
$1,200,000 median home · $3,400/mo rent
Santa Barbara, CA
Index: 190
$1,200,000 median home · $3,000/mo rent
New York City, NY
Index: 187
$680,000 median home · $3,200/mo rent
Honolulu, HI
Index: 186
$720,000 median home · $2,400/mo rent
San Jose, CA
Index: 182
$1,300,000 median home · $3,100/mo rent
Cambridge, MA
Index: 178
$890,000 median home · $3,100/mo rent
Irvine, CA
Index: 178
$1,050,000 median home · $3,000/mo rent
Los Angeles, CA
Index: 166
$850,000 median home · $2,700/mo rent
Oakland, CA
Index: 165
$780,000 median home · $2,700/mo rent
Jersey City, NJ
Index: 162
$540,000 median home · $2,600/mo rent
ALL 137 CITIES
Albany, NYAlbuquerque, NMAnchorage, AKAnn Arbor, MIArlington, TXAsheville, NCAtlanta, GAAustin, TXBakersfield, CABaltimore, MDBaton Rouge, LABend, ORBillings, MTBirmingham, ALBoise, IDBoston, MABoulder, COBridgeport, CTBrooklyn, NYBuffalo, NYBurlington, VTCambridge, MAChandler, AZCharleston, SCCharleston, WVCharlotte, NCChattanooga, TNCheyenne, WYChicago, ILCincinnati, OHCleveland, OHColorado Springs, COColumbia, SCColumbia, MDColumbus, OHCorpus Christi, TXDallas, TXDenver, CODes Moines, IADetroit, MIDurham, NCEl Paso, TXEugene, ORFargo, NDFort Lauderdale, FLFort Worth, TXFresno, CAFrisco, TXGilbert, AZGrand Rapids, MIGreenville, SCHartford, CTHenderson, NVHonolulu, HIHouston, TXHuntsville, ALIndianapolis, INIrvine, CAJackson, MSJacksonville, FLJersey City, NJKansas City, MOKnoxville, TNLas Vegas, NVLexington, KYLittle Rock, ARLong Beach, CALos Angeles, CALouisville, KYLubbock, TXMadison, WIManchester, NHManhattan, NYMemphis, TNMesa, AZMiami, FLMilwaukee, WIMinneapolis, MNMissoula, MTModesto, CAMurfreesboro, TNNaperville, ILNaples, FLNashville, TNNew Haven, CTNew Orleans, LANew York City, NYNewark, NJNorfolk, VAOakland, CAOklahoma City, OKOmaha, NEOrlando, FLPhiladelphia, PAPhoenix, AZPittsburgh, PAPlano, TXPortland, MEPortland, ORProvidence, RIProvo, UTRaleigh, NCReno, NVRichmond, VARiverside, CARochester, NYSacramento, CASalt Lake City, UTSan Antonio, TXSan Diego, CASan Francisco, CASan Jose, CASanta Barbara, CASanta Fe, NMSarasota, FLSavannah, GAScottsdale, AZSeattle, WASioux Falls, SDSpokane, WASpringfield, MASt. Louis, MOSt. Paul, MNStamford, CTStockton, CASyracuse, NYTacoma, WATampa, FLTempe, AZTucson, AZTulsa, OKVirginia Beach, VAWashington, DCWichita, KSWilmington, NCWilmington, DEWorcester, MA
BROWSE BY STATE
Alabama (AL)Alaska (AK)Arizona (AZ)Arkansas (AR)California (CA)Colorado (CO)Connecticut (CT)Delaware (DE)District of Columbia (DC)Florida (FL)Georgia (GA)Hawaii (HI)Idaho (ID)Illinois (IL)Indiana (IN)Iowa (IA)Kansas (KS)Kentucky (KY)Louisiana (LA)Maine (ME)Maryland (MD)Massachusetts (MA)Michigan (MI)Minnesota (MN)Mississippi (MS)Missouri (MO)Montana (MT)Nebraska (NE)Nevada (NV)New Hampshire (NH)New Jersey (NJ)New Mexico (NM)New York (NY)North Carolina (NC)North Dakota (ND)Ohio (OH)Oklahoma (OK)Oregon (OR)Pennsylvania (PA)Rhode Island (RI)South Carolina (SC)South Dakota (SD)Tennessee (TN)Texas (TX)Utah (UT)Vermont (VT)Virginia (VA)Washington (WA)West Virginia (WV)Wisconsin (WI)Wyoming (WY)
How We Calculate Cost of Living
Our cost of living index uses a weighted composite of five major expense categories: housing (the largest component), groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare. The national average is set at 100 — a city scoring 120 is roughly 20% more expensive than average, while a city scoring 85 is about 15% cheaper.
Housing typically accounts for the biggest variance between cities. A city like San Francisco can be over 5x more expensive for housing than a city like Memphis, even though other categories remain relatively close to the national average.
Use our comparison tool to make informed decisions about relocations, job offers, retirement planning, and remote work location choices. Pair this data with our salary after tax calculator to see how far your paycheck actually goes in each city.
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