Cost of Living in the United States
Updated:
| Cost of living | One person | Family of 4 |
|---|---|---|
| 💰 Total with rent | ||
| 🛋️ Without rent | ||
| 🏨 Rent & Utilities | ||
| 🍽️ Food | ||
| 🚐 Transport | ||
| 💳 Monthly salary after tax | ||
| 💸 GDP per capita | ||
| 😃 Human freedom index | ||
| ❤️ Life expectancy | ||
| 🌐 English speaking % | ||
| 🏙️ Population | ||
The cost of living in the United States is $2498, which is 2.33 times more expensive than the world average. The United States ranked 7th out of 197 countries by cost of living and the 21st best country to live in.
The average salary after taxes in the United States is $4485, which is enough to cover living expenses for 1.8 months.
Discover best places to live in the United States.
Share this infographic!
Prices in the United States
We calculate prices for the United States as a population-weighted mean of 2202 cities. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.
| 🍱 Lunch Menu | |
|---|---|
| 🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2 | |
| 🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's | |
| 🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz | |
| ☕ Cappuccino | |
| 🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz |
| 🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in city Center, 40 m2 or 430 ft2 | |
|---|---|
| 🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2 | |
| 🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in city Center, 80 m2 or 860 ft2 | |
| 🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2 | |
| 🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc. | |
| 🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc. | |
| 🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited | |
| 🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years | |
| 🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2 | |
| 🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2 |
| 🚌 Local transport ticket | |
|---|---|
| 🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport | |
| 🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi | |
| ⛽ Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal |
| 🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt | |
|---|---|
| 🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb | |
| 🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🥚 Eggs, x12 | |
| 🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt | |
| 🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz | |
| 🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle | |
| 🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz | |
| 🚬 Cigarette pack | |
| 💊 Cold medicince, 1 week | |
| 🧴 Hair Shampoo | |
| 🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls | |
| 👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube |
| 🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month | |
|---|---|
| 🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person | |
| 👩⚕️ Doctor's visit | |
| 💇 Haircut, simple | |
| 👖 Brand Jeans | |
| 👟 Brand Sneakers | |
| 👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month | |
| 🏫 International Primary School, 1 year |
Cost of living in other countries
Cost of living
Cities by population
States ranked from the most expensive to the cheapest ones
| Rank | State | Cost of living |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York State | |
| 2 | District of Columbia | |
| 3 | California | |
| 4 | Guam | |
| 5 | Hawaii | |
| 6 | Massachusetts | |
| 7 | New Jersey | |
| 8 | Vermont | |
| 9 | Washington | |
| 10 | Colorado | |
| 11 | Florida | |
| 12 | New Hampshire | |
| 13 | Rhode Island | |
| 14 | Connecticut | |
| 15 | Alaska | |
| 16 | US Virgin Islands | |
| 17 | Maryland | |
| 18 | Oregon State | |
| 19 | Virginia | |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | |
| 21 | Illinois | |
| 22 | Delaware | |
| 23 | Nevada | |
| 24 | Maine | |
| 25 | Arizona | |
| 26 | South Carolina | |
| 27 | North Carolina | |
| 28 | Minnesota | |
| 29 | Tennessee | |
| 30 | Georgia | |
| 31 | Texas State | |
| 32 | Idaho | |
| 33 | Utah | |
| 34 | Montana | |
| 35 | Michigan | |
| 36 | Wisconsin | |
| 37 | Louisiana | |
| 38 | South Dakota | |
| 39 | Indiana | |
| 40 | Kansas State | |
| 41 | New Mexico | |
| 42 | Missouri | |
| 43 | Mississippi | |
| 44 | Nebraska | |
| 45 | Ohio | |
| 46 | Arkansas | |
| 47 | Kentucky | |
| 48 | Oklahoma State | |
| 49 | Alabama | |
| 50 | Wyoming | |
| 51 | North Dakota | |
| 52 | Iowa State | |
| 53 | West Virginia | |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | |
| 55 | Northern Mariana Islands |
