THE COST OF LIVING IS ONLY HALF THE STORY
Cheap ≠ Good Value.
Compare what local earnings can buy, then check housing, jobs and quality of life. Choose a state below.
01 / COMPARE THE STATES
Where does your money go furthest?
Make it your own Adjust priorities
Your priorities adjusts the ranking to what matters to you.
Choose a state to see how it compares across the dashboard.
Typical
Alaska & Hawaii insets · D.C. unranked
Overall value/ 100
02 / INCOME & LOCAL PRICES
How far does local income go?
Compare local prices with
Local price levels: BEA; household income: ACS, 2024. Dashed lines split the 50 states in half by each measure; they are comparison points, not targets. Dot colors show Overall Economic Value.
03 / HOUSING & LOCAL PAY
How affordable is housing on local pay?
Compare housing by
ACS 2024 medians. Ratios divide state-level medians from different populations; they are comparisons, not actual household cost burdens, mortgage payments or renter-specific affordability. Dashed lines split the states in half by each measure; dot colors show Overall Economic Value.