Most expensive cities in the US

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It is natural for man to expect the best of everything. Be it the style of living, the food he eats, the clothes he wears and so on and so forth. It would not be unreasonable to expect that all good things come at a price. Now the question that might arise is that whether the price one has to pay for the good things in life reasonable enough. It is a highly subjective question and depends on situation to situation.

Now consider this scenario. Why do people from all over the world flock to the United States of America? It could be for higher studies or for employment. The central idea of going to the United States is to experience a higher standard of living. There are no two opinions about the fact that America has a lot to offer to its residents. America is the world’s most vibrant economy. It has a diverse population with people from virtually every country in the world seeking a home in America. America has a lot to offer on tourist attractions too. At the same time America is an expensive country to live in.

It is true that costs alone should not be a deciding factor for the attractiveness of a place. However it makes a difference if one knows the numbers before deciding on relocation. It is with this background that a survey was conducted by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) to determine the top ten expensive cities in the United States. A sample of more than 300 areas was taken as a base for collection of data. The Cost of Living Index was considered as a reference by taking into consideration the prices for housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, health care and other miscellaneous goods and services.

This is the list of the top ten expensive cities in the United States in descending order.

  • San Diego, the land of sun, surf and sand, occupies the tenth position with the cost of living being 30% more than the US average. The high costs involved in housing have pushed the cost of living in this tourist city.
  • A combination of high costs and low incomes along with rising unemployment has pushed Los Angeles to the ninth place with the cost of living being 30.4% more than the US average.
  • Exorbitant home rates in Oakland, California have resulted in the city occupying the eighth place with a cost of living being pegged at 36.1% above the US average.
  • Boston, Massachusetts scores on the housing front but falls way behind in the cost of groceries and utilities and thus is placed at seventh on the list. The cost of living index is estimated at 39.7% over the US average.
  • How can the capital of the United States be left behind? Washington, D.C. ranks sixth in this exalted list and is still considered to be a favoured location for many a person. The cost of living has been calculated to be 40.1% above the US average.
  • Being the smallest city among this list does not deter this city of millionaire households, Stamford, Connecticut from entering the list in the top five at the fifth This city has the highest median household income and the cost of living sums up to 44.1% above the US average.
  • It would be an injustice if Silicon Valley should go unrepresented in this list. San Jose, California takes the fourth place comfortably with a cost of living as high as 49.3% over the US average.
  • Sky rocketing prices of houses in San Francisco have played a huge part in this city being ranked a high third in this exclusive list. Rental costs are the highest in the country with the cost of living being a whopping 61.6% above the US average.
  • The land of beaches, Honolulu in Hawaii is the runner up in this list with the main culprit being the cost of gasoline. This has pushed the cost of living to 69.1% above the US average.
  • Manhattan is the land of the tallest buildings in the world. In the same vein, New York (Manhattan) stands tall in the list taking the pride of position with the cost of living an unbelievable 120.4% above the US average.

Now, make a choice about which city to live in.

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