How We Compare Cost of Living

Everyday prices: BEA regional price parities

The Bureau of Economic Analysis prices the same basket of goods, services and rent in every state and metro, then expresses each place as a percentage of the national level. 100 is the US average. A score of 94 means the same basket costs 6% less. We use the latest release, which covers 2024. BEA: Regional Price Parities by State and Metro Area

We show two of the BEA series. Price level is the all-items number. Housing is the housing services component, which tracks rents. We read both from FRED, the St. Louis Fed's data service, which republishes BEA's figures by state and metro.

Salary matching

"$150,000 in New York buys the same as X here" is $150,000 multiplied by the destination's price level and divided by New York's. For Raleigh: $150,000 × 98.157 ÷ 112.563 = $130,803. It does not account for state income tax, which we cover on its own.

Home prices: Realtor.com median listing price

The median asking price of homes listed for sale in a metro or state that month, published by Realtor.com and republished on FRED. It is an asking price, not a sale price, and it reflects the homes on the market that month. The US median was $419,250 in September 2026. Realtor.com Research data · FRED: MEDLISPRIUS

Monthly payment

We turn the median listing into a monthly number so you can compare it with your rent or mortgage today: principal and interest on the median home with 20% down and a 30-year fixed loan at 7.32%, the freddie mac 30-year fixed average, week of october 22, 2026. Freddie Mac's survey is built on conventional purchase loans with 20% down from borrowers with excellent credit, which is why we use 20% down. Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey

Example: Raleigh's median listing is $445,000. Borrowing $356,000 at 7.32% for 30 years is $2,445 a month. The same math on the New York metro median of $742,000 is $4,078.

We leave out property taxes, insurance and HOA fees. They depend on the exact address and can swing hundreds of dollars a month inside one city, so any single number would mislead you.

Rent: Census American Community Survey

For renters we show the median gross rent for 2-bedroom units from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 2025 1-year estimates, table B25031. Gross rent is the rent plus the utilities the renter pays, so it compares fairly across places where heat or water is or is not included. The US median is $1,563; the New York metro is $1,997. It covers every renter household, including long-time tenants, so it is what renters pay now, not the asking rent on a new lease. Census: table B25031

Who is moving where: Census migration estimates

Net domestic migration is people who moved in from elsewhere in the US minus people who moved out, July to July, from the Census Bureau's annual population estimates. Our latest year is July 2024 to July 2025 (Vintage 2025). Census Bureau: Population and Housing Unit Estimates

Weather, flights and incentives

• Weather: NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals for the main airport or city station: January low, July high and yearly snowfall.
• Flights: each airport's own published nonstop route list, with the date we checked it.
• Incentives: each program's official page, with the date we checked it. We list amounts and eligibility exactly as the program states them, and flag when sources disagree.

What we do not use

We never rank or describe places by who lives there. Rankings use prices, space, weather, flights and migration totals only. When we do not have a number, we say so instead of estimating it.

Coming next

School data and state income tax are next. Until they are sourced, they are not on the site.

Questions about a number? Every page has a Sources list at the bottom. Start with the cost of living by state or the cheapest places to live.