10 of the most expensive states to live in
The costs of living in the U.S. have fluctuated significantly in recent years. But generally, prices have been going up and up, putting strain on Americans across the country. In a poll released by Politico in December 2025, almost half of respondents stated that they struggle to afford basic necessities such as groceries, housing, and health care. Meanwhile, consumer sentiment has fallen to a near-record low as of November 2025, and an October 2025 Harris Poll conducted for Bloomberg News found that 62% of Americans report seeing the costs of daily purchases climb within the last month.
With inflation increasing again—along with new tariffs and a pause on interest rate cuts—there's added uncertainty about future living expenses. That uncertainty becomes particularly alarming when you consider that soaring costs of living have already greatly reduced the quality of life for the bottom 60% of U.S. households, according to a May 2025 analysis from the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity.
You wouldn't be alone if you wondered if your hard-earned dollars might go farther in another city or state. To find the answer, look at the Cost of Living Index, which is calculated based on the price of more than 60 goods and services. The U.S. average is 100, and each place's index is a percentage of the average in the United States. Those below 100 are cheaper than average, and those above 100 are more expensive.
Stacker measured the cost of living in each state using the 2025 Annual Average data from the Council for Community & Economic Research. The survey measures the cost of living in cities across the U.S. Researchers calculated each state's cost of living using the average of the indices of metro areas and cities in that state.
The most expensive states are primarily on the coasts, particularly in the West and Northeast. The cost of living tends to be lower in the Midwest and the South. Read on to determine if your state is among the 10 most costly.
