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
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