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Rhode Island has a cost of living 16% above the national average with a MERIC index of 116. See real monthly expenses for Providence, Cranston, and Warwick in 2026, including rent prices, salary needed, and income tax up to 5.99%.
Florida has a cost of living 3% above the national average with a MERIC index of 103 and no state income tax. See real monthly expenses for Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville in 2026, including rent prices and salary needed.
Nevada has a cost of living 3% above the national average with a MERIC index of 103 and no state income tax. See real monthly expenses for Las Vegas, Henderson, and Reno in 2026, including rent prices and salary needed.
Nebraska has a cost of living 8% below the national average with a MERIC index of 92. See real monthly expenses for Omaha and Lincoln in 2026, including rent prices, salary needed, and Nebraska's high property taxes at 1.61%.
Delaware has a cost of living 8% above the national average with a MERIC index of 108. See real monthly expenses for Wilmington and Dover in 2026, including no state sales tax, property tax rates, and salary needed to live comfortably.
Montana has a cost of living 2% above the national average with a MERIC index of 102 and no state sales tax. See real monthly expenses for Billings, Missoula, and Bozeman in 2026, including rent prices that have surged since 2020 and salary needed.
Missouri has a cost of living 10% below the national average with a MERIC index of 90. See real monthly expenses for Kansas City, St. Louis, and Columbia in 2026, including rent prices, salary needed, and income tax rates.
Mississippi has the lowest cost of living of any U.S. state with a MERIC index of 83 (17% below national average). See real monthly expenses for Jackson, Gulfport, and Biloxi in 2026, including the nation's lowest median home prices.
Minnesota has a cost of living 1.4% below the national average with a BEA Regional Price Parity of 98.6 (2024 data) and 19 Fortune 500 company headquarters. See real monthly expenses for Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Rochester in 2026, including rent prices, salary needed, and income tax up to 9.85%.
Kentucky has a cost of living 13% below the national average with a MERIC index of 87. See real monthly expenses for Louisville, Lexington, and Bowling Green in 2026, including rent prices, salary needed, and Kentucky's flat 4.0% income tax.
Connecticut has a cost of living 20% above the national average with a MERIC index of 120. See real monthly expenses for Hartford, Stamford, and New Haven in 2026, including average rent, salary needed, and property tax rates among the highest in the nation.
South Carolina has a cost of living 7% below the national average with a MERIC index of 93 and very low property taxes of 0.56%. See real monthly expenses for Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville in 2026.
South Dakota has a cost of living 4% below the national average with a MERIC index of 96 and no state income tax. See real monthly expenses for Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and Aberdeen in 2026.
Michigan has a cost of living 11% below the national average with a MERIC index of 89. See real monthly expenses for Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Ann Arbor in 2026, including rent prices, salary needed, and Michigan's notoriously high auto insurance costs.
Colorado has a cost of living 3.1% above the national average with a BEA Regional Price Parity of 103.1 (2024 data). See real monthly expenses for Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins in 2026, including rent prices, salary needed, and Colorado's flat 4.4% income tax.
California has a cost of living 10.7% above the national average with a BEA Regional Price Parity of 110.7 (2024 data). See real monthly expenses for Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Sacramento in 2026, including rent, salary needed, and income tax up to 13.3%.
Tennessee has a cost of living 9% below the national average with a MERIC index of 91 and no state income tax. See real monthly expenses for Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga in 2026, including rent prices and salary needed.
Massachusetts has a cost of living 46% above the national average with a MERIC index of 146. See real monthly expenses for Boston, Cambridge, Worcester, and Springfield in 2026, including rent prices, salary needed up to $145,000, and tax breakdown.
Maryland has a cost of living 17% above the national average with a MERIC index of 117 and the highest median household income in the U.S. See real monthly expenses for Baltimore, Rockville, and Columbia in 2026.
Maine has a cost of living 2.9% below the national average with a BEA Regional Price Parity of 97.1 (2024 data). See real monthly expenses for Portland, Lewiston, and Bangor in 2026, including rent prices, heating costs, salary needed, and income tax rates.
Utah has a cost of living about 1.1% below the national average with a BEA Regional Price Parity of 98.9 (2024 data), essentially at parity, and a fast-growing Silicon Slopes tech sector. See real monthly expenses for Salt Lake City, Provo, and Ogden in 2026, including rent prices and salary needed.
Vermont has a cost of living 2% below the national average with a BEA Regional Price Parity of 98.0 (2024 data). See real monthly expenses for Burlington, Montpelier, and Rutland in 2026, including rent prices, heating costs, salary needed, and income tax up to 8.75%.
Virginia has a cost of living 4% above the national average with a MERIC index of 104 and one of the strongest job markets in the country driven by federal government and Amazon HQ2. See real monthly expenses for Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Roanoke in 2026.
Arkansas has a cost of living 13% below the national average with a MERIC index of 87. See real monthly expenses for Little Rock, Fayetteville, and Fort Smith in 2026, including average rent, salary needed, and tax breakdown.
