Living in California costs about 27% more than living in Arkansas, according to the regional price parities the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis published on 19 February 2026. We charted the 2024 figures five ways: the overall cost of living, rents, goods prices, utility prices, and income after adjusting for prices.
With the national average set at 100, California's overall price level is 110.7, the highest of any state, followed by Hawaii at 110.0 and New Jersey at 108.8; the District of Columbia is at 109.9. The cheapest states are Arkansas at 86.9 and Mississippi at 87.0. 16 states and the District of Columbia are above the national average.
| Area | All items | Rents | Goods | Utilities | Real income per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 110.7 | 154.3 | 106.1 | 158.9 | $63,028 |
| Hawaii | 110.0 | 125.3 | 111.6 | 190.2 | $52,272 |
| District of Columbia | 109.9 | 155.0 | 106.5 | 112.8 | $81,872 |
| New Jersey | 108.8 | 134.3 | 107.1 | 114.2 | $63,142 |
| Massachusetts | 105.8 | 128.1 | 98.8 | 152.1 | $71,629 |
| Wyoming | 92.7 | 71.1 | 95.4 | 78.4 | $75,501 |
| Florida | 103.4 | 122.1 | 98.1 | 90.1 | $57,131 |
| Texas | 97.1 | 96.5 | 98.1 | 87.5 | $58,219 |
| West Virginia | 89.5 | 54.2 | 96.5 | 92.2 | $50,051 |
| Arkansas | 86.9 | 58.2 | 93.6 | 74.7 | $55,219 |
| Mississippi | 87.0 | 56.5 | 96.2 | 78.4 | $48,465 |
Price levels: national average = 100. Real income: personal income per person in 2017 dollars after adjusting for local prices. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, release of 19 February 2026.
Rents differ between states far more than the prices of goods. California's rent level is 154.3, 2.8 times West Virginia's 54.2, while goods prices only range from 93.6 in Arkansas to 111.6 in Hawaii. Florida shows the effect: its rents stand at 122.1, while its overall price level is 103.4.
Utilities are the other big divide. Hawaii's utility prices are 190.2, 2.7 times Idaho's 70.4, and four New England states, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Maine, are among the six most expensive.
Prices also reshuffle the income ranking. After adjusting income for local prices, Wyoming has the highest income per person of any state, $75,501 in 2017 dollars, behind only the District of Columbia at $81,872. Hawaii drops from 21st for income before the adjustment to 47th after it, California falls from 5th to 13th, and Iowa and Oklahoma each climb 17 places.
About the data. Regional price parities combine Consumer Price Index price quotes, rents and utility costs from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, and state spending patterns. They compare places within a single year, so they are not a measure of inflation, and a state average hides the gap between its cities and rural areas. BEA lists its next release for 10 December 2026. For home values and rents in 2026 from Zillow, see our post on home values and rents by state, and for every ranking we have by state, see US state rankings.