Cost of Living by State: The 2026 Ranking
Monthly essential costs for a single adult across 10 states, from most to least expensive.
By Michael Dang, CostByState Research Team · 2026-07-08
Cost of living is the single biggest lever on how far a paycheck goes. We ranked our 10 launch states by the typical monthly cost for a single adult — housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and everyday essentials — using each state's regional price level.
California is the most expensive at $4,611 a month, and Arkansas the least at $2,951 — living in California costs roughly 56% more than Arkansas for the same basket.
| # | State | Monthly cost | Annual | Median home price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $4,611 | $55,332 | $764,158 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $4,331 | $51,972 | $580,353 |
| 3 | Hawaii | $4,240 | $50,880 | $833,340 |
| 4 | Washington | $4,180 | $50,160 | $591,879 |
| 5 | New York | $4,157 | $49,884 | $526,714 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $4,139 | $49,668 | $661,896 |
| 7 | Colorado | $4,091 | $49,092 | $532,748 |
| 8 | Maryland | $4,061 | $48,732 | $428,308 |
| 9 | Florida | $4,024 | $48,288 | $375,470 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $3,956 | $47,472 | $450,873 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $3,951 | $47,412 | $516,306 |
| 12 | Oregon | $3,890 | $46,680 | $496,113 |
| 13 | Nevada | $3,857 | $46,284 | $442,027 |
| 14 | Virginia | $3,809 | $45,708 | $414,662 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $3,784 | $45,408 | $511,233 |
| 16 | Arizona | $3,781 | $45,372 | $417,990 |
| 17 | Utah | $3,767 | $45,204 | $534,582 |
| 18 | Alaska | $3,701 | $44,412 | $398,663 |
| 19 | Delaware | $3,701 | $44,412 | $406,074 |
| 20 | Illinois | $3,654 | $43,848 | $297,573 |
| 21 | Texas | $3,595 | $43,140 | $299,367 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $3,576 | $42,912 | $350,752 |
| 23 | Idaho | $3,498 | $41,976 | $478,744 |
| 24 | Georgia | $3,489 | $41,868 | $330,817 |
| 25 | Vermont | $3,484 | $41,808 | $399,053 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $3,466 | $41,592 | $290,401 |
| 27 | Montana | $3,412 | $40,944 | $471,746 |
| 28 | Michigan | $3,401 | $40,812 | $266,292 |
| 29 | Maine | $3,388 | $40,656 | $415,552 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $3,362 | $40,344 | $334,773 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $3,347 | $40,164 | $306,323 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $3,322 | $39,864 | $339,699 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $3,292 | $39,504 | $334,108 |
| 34 | Indiana | $3,250 | $39,000 | $260,095 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $3,245 | $38,940 | $318,241 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $3,221 | $38,652 | $371,854 |
| 37 | Ohio | $3,214 | $38,568 | $248,803 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $3,187 | $38,244 | $280,673 |
| 39 | Missouri | $3,155 | $37,860 | $267,879 |
| 40 | Kansas | $3,133 | $37,596 | $249,603 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $3,127 | $37,524 | $292,293 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $3,090 | $37,080 | $232,578 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $3,077 | $36,924 | $321,574 |
| 44 | Alabama | $3,051 | $36,612 | $241,613 |
| 45 | Iowa | $3,033 | $36,396 | $239,547 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $3,030 | $36,360 | $217,039 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $3,023 | $36,276 | $223,261 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $2,976 | $35,712 | $179,496 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $2,962 | $35,544 | $197,606 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $2,951 | $35,412 | $227,264 |
Housing does most of the work
Notice how closely the ranking tracks the median home price column. Housing is the largest and most variable line in any budget, so states with expensive homes and rents land near the top regardless of how cheap groceries or utilities are. The other categories move the total, but housing sets the tier.
These figures are for a single adult; larger households cost more but share housing. Use any state's cost-of-living calculator to build a budget for your household and income.
Methodology
Monthly costs scale a national single-adult budget (US Bureau of Labor Statistics) by each state's Regional Price Parity (US Bureau of Economic Analysis). Home prices are Zillow's typical value. See our methodology for details.
Figures are computed from CostByState's cited data (see methodology) and updated monthly. For educational purposes only, not financial advice.