COST OF LIVING INDEX QUARTERLY UPDATE

Feb. 3, 2023

Among the 265 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 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)

Year-End Review of Three Quarters in 2022

National Average for 265 Urban Areas = 100

	Composite Index	Grocery Items	Housing	Utilities	Transportation	Health Care	Misc. Goods & Services
Dalton, GA	88.0	91.4	74.2	96.9	80.6	87.4	97.5

 

The Ten Most and Least Expensive Urban Areas

in the Cost of Living Index (COLI)

Year-End Review of Three Quarters in 2022

National Average for 265 Urban Areas = 100

Most Expensive				Least Expensive
		COL				COL
Ranking	Urban Areas	Index		Ranking	Urban Areas		Index
1	New York (Manhattan) NY		227.7	1	Harlingen TX		77.1
2	Honolulu HI		184.0	2	Kalamazoo MI		77.5
3	San Francisco CA		178.6	3	Muskogee OK		78.3
4	New York (Brooklyn) NY		168.6	4	McAllen TX		79.4
5	Washington DC		152.2	5	Decatur IL		80.1
6	Orange County CA		151.2	6	Tupelo MS		81.4
7	Los Angeles-Long Beach CA		150.6	7	Joplin MO		82.0
8	Seattle WA		149.9	8	Topeka KS		82.5
9	Boston MA		149.7	9	Salina KS		82.7
10	Oackland CA		145.9	10	Richmond IN		82.9

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.