US Cost of Living Index 2026: How It Works
The cost-of-living index answers: how much does your dollar actually buy in each city? A city with COL index 80 is roughly 20% cheaper than New York City at the baseline of 100.
What Is a COL Index?
A cost-of-living index measures the relative price of a fixed basket of goods and services across locations. Numbeo, the source used on this site, sets New York City as the baseline at 100 (Q1 2026). A city with index 75 costs roughly 25% less than NYC in aggregate. The index weights rent (approximately 40%), groceries (approximately 25%), utilities, and restaurant prices.
This is not the same as income-equivalent salary. The NerdWallet approach (the “$100K in SF = $58K in Austin” calculation) adjusts salary for COL differences. This site takes a different approach: we show actual take-home in each city, then compare it to the actual rent and COL index for that city, so you see both the supply (take-home) and the demand (cost) sides directly.
Key sources: Numbeo (crowdsourced, monthly updates, global coverage), C2ER / ACCRA (US metro survey, quarterly, subscription access), BLS CPI (national-level only, not city-specific for most categories), MIT Living Wage Calculator (academic, family-size aware, annual update).
25-Metro COL Ranking (Numbeo Q1 2026, NYC=100)
| City | COL Index | Groceries | Median 1BR | Transit/mo | Take-Home $80K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio, TXNo state tax | 68 | 74 | $1,150 | $38 | $5,409/mo |
| Houston, TXNo state tax | 72 | 78 | $1,350 | $40 | $5,409/mo |
| Orlando, FLNo state tax | 72 | 78 | $1,550 | $50 | $5,409/mo |
| Raleigh, NC | 72 | 78 | $1,450 | $68 | $5,109/mo |
| Phoenix, AZ | 73 | 80 | $1,350 | $64 | $5,242/mo |
| Dallas, TXNo state tax | 74 | 79 | $1,400 | $45 | $5,409/mo |
| Tampa, FLNo state tax | 74 | 80 | $1,600 | $55 | $5,409/mo |
| Charlotte, NC | 74 | 80 | $1,550 | $88 | $5,109/mo |
| Philadelphia, PA | 76 | 82 | $1,600 | $96 | $4,952/mo |
| Atlanta, GA | 76 | 80 | $1,650 | $95 | $5,043/mo |
| Nashville, TNNo state tax | 78 | 82 | $1,700 | $60 | $5,409/mo |
| Minneapolis, MN | 78 | 82 | $1,500 | $95 | $4,994/mo |
| Chicago, IL | 80 | 85 | $1,850 | $105 | $5,079/mo |
| Austin, TXNo state tax | 82 | 83 | $1,600 | $40 | $5,409/mo |
| Denver, CO | 83 | 87 | $1,750 | $78 | $5,116/mo |
| Miami, FLNo state tax | 85 | 88 | $2,200 | $112 | $5,409/mo |
| Portland, OR | 85 | 90 | $1,650 | $100 | $4,849/mo |
| San Diego, CA | 90 | 92 | $2,400 | $72 | $5,120/mo |
| Washington DC, DC | 90 | 92 | $2,400 | $100 | $4,976/mo |
| Los Angeles, CA | 92 | 95 | $2,200 | $100 | $5,120/mo |
| Boston, MA | 94 | 96 | $2,800 | $90 | $5,076/mo |
| Seattle, WANo state tax | 95 | 98 | $2,200 | $100 | $5,409/mo |
| New York, NY | 100 | 100 | $3,500 | $132 | $4,854/mo |
| San Jose, CA | 105 | 105 | $2,800 | $95 | $5,120/mo |
| San Francisco, CA | 106 | 108 | $3,200 | $100 | $5,120/mo |
Sorted cheapest to most expensive. COL and groceries index: Numbeo Q1 2026, NYC=100. Rent: Zillow Observed Rent Index, April 2026. Transit: monthly pass cost or estimated vehicle cost.