Cost of living index
June 30, 2023
Among the 271 urban areas that participated in the first quarter of the 2023 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.
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. Covering 61 different items, 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.
What Do Groceries Cost? The grocery index is drawing data from Datasembly’s inventory of over 320 million prices. With food prices still being a big part of the national conversation, C2ER decided to feature those communities once again with the most and least expensive food costs as measured by the
The Ten Most and Least Expensive Urban Areas in the Cost of Living Index (COLI) Review of Quarter One in 2023 National Average for 271 Urban Areas = 100
Most Expensive Least Expensive
COL COL
Ranking Urban Areas Index Ranking Urban Areas Index
1 New York (Manhattan) NY 222.0 1 Harlingen TX 75.9
2 Honolulu HI 179.0 2 Decateur IL 77.6
3 San Francisco CA 169.9 3 Muskogee OK 80.0
4 New York (Brooklyn) NY 159.1 4 McAllen TX 80.9
5 Orange County CA 150.3 5 Tupelo MS 81.7
6 Los Angeles-Long Beach CA 149.1 6 Lawton OK 82.5
7 Washington DC 148.7 7 Kalamazoo MI 82.9
8 Boston MA 148.4 8 Ponca City OK 82.9
9 Seattle WA 144.5 9 Pittsburg KS 83.1
10 San Diego CA 142.5 10 Conway AR 83.2
grocery item index number. The twenty-six items priced come from a variety of surrogate categories to represent the grocery item component of the index. The Five Most and Least Expensive Places for Grocery Items by Index Number in the Cost of Living Index (COLI) Review of Quarter One in 2023 Average for 271 Urban Areas = 100
Most Expensive Least Expensive
Ranking Urban Areas Index Ranking Urban Areas Index
1 Kodiak AK 132.9 1 McAllen TX 85.9
2 San Francisco CA 127.8 2 Harlingen TX 85.9
3 Honolulu HI 125.6 3 Temple TX 86.4
4 Juneau AK 125.6 4 Waco TX 87.7
5 Anchorage AK 125.6 5 Cedar Park TX 87.9
The Most Expensive and Least Expensive Cities to Buy Almond Milk
This quarter’s release of the Cost of Living Index saw the replacement of whole milk half-gallon prices with almond milk half-gallon prices. The last quarter collected, Q3 2022, saw the average price of a half-gallon of whole milk at $2.57. However, this quarter we have found the average price of almond milk to be $4.65, almost twice the average of whole milk during Q3 2022. According to a 2021 article by the Food Institute, as more infants are being born with a food allergy to cow’s milk, there has been a growing interest in adopting plant based dairy alternatives. Additionally, the availability of these alternatives, primarily almond milk, has been increasing to the point where in 2021, you could find these alternatives at virtually any supermarket or café. With the popularity of these alternative options rising quickly and seemingly showing no signs of stopping, the Cost of Living Index continues to strive to represent the COLI consumer.
The Five Most and Least Expensive Places to Buy Almond Milk Year-End Review of Three Quarters in 2022 Average for 271 Urban Areas = $4.65
Most Expensive Least Expensive
Ranking Urban Areas Avg. Rate Ranking Urban Areas Avg. Rate
1 Honolulu HI $5.42 1 Burlington NC $4.25
2 San Francisco CA $5.35 2 Ocala FL $4.36
3 Juneau AK $5.29 3 Tampa FL $4.41
4 Fairbanks AK $5.22 4 Vero Beach-India River FL $4.41
5 New York (Queens) NY $5.22 5 Fort Lauderdale FL $4.43
The quarterly Cost of Living Index is available by subscription for $190 per year for the print version and $180 per year for the PDF. The electronic version is available for $300 per year. Be sure and ask about our new Expanded Excel version which covers more household and income types. Send check, payable to C2ER, P.O. Box 12546, Arlington VA 22209, or subscribe on the Internet at www.coli.org.
If you need additional information on the Cost of Living Index or other COLI-related products such as the COLI Web Calculator and the COLI Historical Index, please contact Tyler Baines at tbaines@crec.net or by phone at 703-522-4980.http://media/userfiles/subsite_145/files/COLI%2525202023%252520Q1.pdf