COST OF LIVING INDEX QUARTERLY UPDATE

Jan. 26, 2021

Among the 274 urban areas that participated in the first quarter 2020 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 Harlingen, TX.   The Cost of Living Index is published quarterly by C2ER – The Council for Community and Economic Research

Dalton’s Cost of Living Index (COLI)

Fourth Quarter 2020

National Average for 274 Urban Areas = 100

	Composite Index	Grocery Items	Housing	Utilities	Transportation	Health Care	Misc. Goods & Services
Dalton, GA	88.5	93.9	68.6	99.3	91.2	90.6	98.0

 

The Ten Most and Least Expensive Urban Areas

in the Cost of Living Index (COLI)

Fourth Quarter 2020

National Average for 274 Urban Areas = 100

Most Expensive				Least Expensive
		COL				COL
Ranking	Urban Areas	Index		Ranking	Urban Areas		Index
1	New York (Manhattan) NY		237.0	1	Harlingen TX		73.2
2	Honolulu HI		198.3	2	Kalamazoo MI		76.8
3	San Francisco CA		192.3	3	Amarillo TX		80.6
4	New York (Brooklyn) NY		173.8	4	McAllen TX		81.3
5	Oakland CA		156.3	5	Tupelo MS		81.4
6	Seattle WA		156.0	6	Pittsburg KS		81.7
7	Washington DC		155.3	7	Joplin MO		81.9
8	Orange County CA		149.3	8	Jackson-Madison County TN		82.4
9	Boston MA		148.4	9	Muskogee OK		82.8
10	Los Angeles-Long Beach CA		147.2	10	Richmond IN		83.0

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.

Amarillo TX