Cost of living by state
Three practical ways to answer "how much do I need to make to live there?", calculated for all 50 states and DC with 2026 taxes.
Three ways to measure it
Typical lifestyle
The salary that gives a single filer the same after-tax buying power as the U.S. median household income of $81,604, taxed the same way, in a typical state. Each state page also sizes it for a couple, a single parent and a family of four.
Rent affordably
Income needed so the state's median rent is no more than 30% of gross pay.
Buy a median home
Income lenders expect for the median-priced home with 20% down, under the 28% housing-cost rule.
All states, most expensive first
| State | Typical lifestyle | Family of 4 | Price level | Rent affordably | Buy a home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $99,500 | $190,600 | 110.7 | $84,160 | $196,807 |
| Hawaii | $98,500 | $186,800 | 110.0 | $77,680 | $212,642 |
| Washington, DC | $97,300 | $205,400 | 109.9 | $77,240 | $187,026 |
| New Jersey | $95,100 | $190,100 | 108.8 | $72,000 | $150,876 |
| Maryland | $95,000 | $188,200 | 105.0 | $68,840 | $118,716 |
| New York | $95,000 | $191,900 | 107.9 | $65,360 | $130,169 |
| Oregon | $94,100 | $185,500 | 103.4 | $63,880 | $130,842 |
| Massachusetts | $92,900 | $189,700 | 105.8 | $73,920 | $165,477 |
| Connecticut | $90,900 | $184,100 | 103.6 | $62,000 | $119,521 |
| Washington | $88,800 | $175,300 | 107.0 | $72,960 | $158,207 |
| Colorado | $88,500 | $171,200 | 103.1 | $72,880 | $148,554 |
| Rhode Island | $87,900 | $183,300 | 102.3 | $56,720 | $127,223 |
| Virginia | $87,600 | $169,300 | 101.1 | $65,840 | $106,440 |
| Delaware | $87,100 | $173,200 | 99.8 | $61,200 | $94,265 |
| Illinois | $86,400 | $180,400 | 100.0 | $52,880 | $87,942 |
| Minnesota | $85,900 | $179,500 | 98.6 | $51,640 | $97,272 |
| Utah | $84,800 | $158,700 | 98.9 | $63,720 | $137,189 |
| New Hampshire | $84,500 | $168,000 | 104.2 | $62,320 | $132,355 |
| Maine | $84,100 | $174,900 | 97.0 | $48,400 | $92,538 |
| Florida | $83,700 | $154,000 | 103.4 | $72,480 | $109,667 |
| Arizona | $83,600 | $158,300 | 100.7 | $66,880 | $107,457 |
| Alaska | $83,200 | $160,500 | 102.4 | $57,760 | $104,341 |
| Vermont | $83,000 | $175,500 | 98.0 | $52,760 | $101,916 |
| Pennsylvania | $82,000 | $166,100 | 97.6 | $50,080 | $78,509 |
| Georgia | $81,900 | $154,000 | 96.3 | $60,240 | $92,777 |
| Michigan | $81,600 | $166,100 | 96.2 | $46,720 | $72,520 |
| Idaho | $80,900 | $152,800 | 95.5 | $55,360 | $112,251 |
| Nevada | $80,600 | $149,800 | 100.0 | $68,360 | $114,677 |
| Montana | $80,000 | $166,300 | 94.6 | $47,080 | $112,817 |
| Wisconsin | $79,700 | $168,100 | 94.1 | $45,680 | $84,055 |
| Indiana | $79,500 | $163,100 | 93.3 | $44,160 | $66,342 |
| North Carolina | $79,000 | $152,600 | 94.3 | $53,520 | $87,708 |
| South Carolina | $78,800 | $155,000 | 93.7 | $50,880 | $77,726 |
| Texas | $77,900 | $149,100 | 97.1 | $59,000 | $93,793 |
| New Mexico | $76,800 | $137,800+ | 92.2 | $44,680 | $74,367 |
| Kansas | $76,300 | $151,200 | 90.1 | $43,160 | $71,999 |
| Ohio | $75,700 | $155,700 | 92.8 | $43,600 | $69,191 |
| Missouri | $75,600 | $151,100 | 90.8 | $42,680 | $70,941 |
| Kentucky | $75,000 | $153,000 | 90.2 | $39,920 | $62,049 |
| Nebraska | $74,900 | $157,800 | 90.1 | $44,080 | $80,722 |
| Alabama | $74,600 | $145,600 | 88.8 | $43,080 | $61,816 |
| West Virginia | $74,400 | $153,300 | 89.5 | $35,320 | $45,542 |
| Wyoming | $73,800 | $150,700 | 92.7 | $39,920 | $89,976 |
| Oklahoma | $73,100 | $145,400 | 87.8 | $41,760 | $64,324 |
| Tennessee | $73,000 | $142,300 | 91.9 | $51,360 | $85,806 |
| Iowa | $72,200 | $146,500 | 87.8 | $39,240 | $67,151 |
| Louisiana | $72,100 | $142,800 | 88.2 | $42,560 | $63,152 |
| Arkansas | $71,600 | $142,300 | 86.9 | $39,280 | $58,506 |
| Mississippi | $71,500 | $139,600 | 87.0 | $39,600 | $52,991 |
| North Dakota | $70,500 | $143,900 | 89.0 | $39,200 | $74,999 |
| South Dakota | $70,000 | $139,600 | 88.6 | $39,960 | $82,476 |
Typical lifestyle: one adult, taxed as a single filer. Family of 4: two adults filing jointly with children aged 4 and 9, the same lifestyle sized for four people, with rent for two bedrooms and full-time child care for the 4-year-old (New Mexico has no recent child care price, so its figure is a minimum); each state page shows how it's built. Price level: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (U.S. = 100). See methodology. For metro areas, see cost of living by city; for what a $75,000 salary is worth in each state, see the state rankings.