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COST OF LIVING INDEX YEAR END REVIEW

Feb. 6, 2024

Beginning with quarter four of 2007, C2ER has annually published an unweighted average of prices accumulated from the previous three quarters. This analysis uses average prices submitted for the first three quarters of 2023.  For further details on the annual average methodology, please visit our website at coli.org.

Among the 276 urban areas that participated in 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 Decatur, IL.   The Cost of Living Index is published quarterly by C2ER – The Council for Community and Economic Research.

The Ten Most and Least Expensive Urban Areas

in the Cost of Living Index (COLI)

Year-End Review of Three Quarters in 2023

National Average for 276 Urban Areas = 100

Most Expensive

 

Least Expensive

 

 

 

COL

 

 

   COL

Ranking

Urban Areas

Index

Ranking

Urban Areas

Index

1

New York (Manhattan) NY

225.2

1

Decatur IL

77.9

2

Honolulu HI

180.3

2

Harlingen TX

78.5

3

San Jose CA

174.4

3

McAllen TX

80.9

4

San Francisco CA

170.0

4

Tupelo MS

82.2

5

New York (Brooklyn) NY

160.5

5

Ponca City OK

82.3

6

Orange County CA

150.3

6

Muskogee OK

82.4

7

Los Angeles-Long Beach CA

148.9

7

Conway AR

82.6

8

Washington DC

146.8

8

Florence AL

83.3

9

Boston MA

146.5

9

Kalamazoo MI

83.6

10

Seattle WA

144.6

10

Lawton OK

83.6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

Among the 276 urban areas that participated in 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 Decatur, IL. The Cost of Living Index is published quarterly by C2ER – The Council for Community and Economic Research.

Dalton’s Cost of Living Index (COLI)

Review of Quarter Four in 2023

National Average for 276 Urban Areas = 100

 

Composite Index

Grocery Items

Housing

Utilities

Transportation

Health Care

Misc. Goods & Services

Dalton, GA

86.8

97.2

71.7

92.1

82.6

85.3

95.2

 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.


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