COST OF LIVING INDEX QUARTERLY UPDATE

Aug. 26, 2021

Among the 258 urban areas that participated in the second quarter 2021 Cost of Living Index the after-tax cost for a professional/managerial standard of living ranged from more than twice the national average in New York (Manhattan) NY to more than 20 percent below the national average in Kalamazoo, MI.   The Cost of Living Index is published quarterly by C2ER – The Council for Community and Economic Research

Dalton’s Cost of Living Index (COLI)

Second Quarter 2021

National Average for 258 Urban Areas = 100

	Composite Index	Grocery Items	Housing	Utilities	Transportation	Health Care	Misc. Goods & Services
Dalton, GA	87.0	91.7	74.9	95.9	88.4	88.9	91.7

 

The Ten Most and Least Expensive Urban Areas

in the Cost of Living Index (COLI)

Second Quarter 2021

National Average for 258 Urban Areas = 100

Most Expensive				Least Expensive
		COL				COL
Ranking	Urban Areas	Index		Ranking	Urban Areas		Index
1	New York (Manhattan) NY		241.0	1	Kalamazoo MI		77.1
2	San Francisco CA		187.1	2	Harlingen TX		77.3
3	Honolulu HI		185.9	3	McAllen TX		77.7
4	New York (Brooklyn) NY		171.2	4	Muskogee OK		78.9
5	Washington DC		153.3	5	Jackson MS		79.1
6	Boston MA		150.4	6	Amarillo TX		81.7
7	Seattle WA		150.3	7	Tupelo MS		82.0
8	Oakland CA		149.5	8	Pittsburg KS		82.1
9	Orange County CA		149.2	9	Anniston-Calhoun County AL		82.3
10	Los Angeles-Long Beach CA		148.9	10	Richmond IN		82.3

The Cost of Living Index measures regional differences in the cost of consumer goods and services, excluding taxes and non-consumer expenditures, for professional and managerial households in the top income quintile. It is based on more than 90,000 prices covering 60 different items for which prices are collected quarterly by chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and university applied economic centers in each participating urban area. Small differences should not be interpreted as showing a measurable difference.

The composite index is based on six component categories – housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services.