Special Report

This Is the Most Expensive City To Live in Utah

4kodiak / Getty Images

One of the main drawbacks to living in major cities is the price. Goods and services are all fairly expensive compared to less densely populated areas. Nearly every state is home to one major metropolitan area in which the cost of living is well above the average for that state.

To determine the most expensive city in every state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on cost of living from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Just because a city is the most expensive in its state does not necessarily mean its cost of living is that high when compared to the national average cost of living. In 29 states, the most expensive city has a lower cost of living than is typical nationwide, largely because the prices of goods and services statewide fall well below national prices.

The vast majority of metro areas on the list expanded, with their population increasing well beyond the 2.9% national population growth over the last five years. Costs of living tend to be higher in places where people want to live. These kinds of metro areas typically have abundant economic opportunity, reflected in the areas’ relatively high incomes and low poverty rates, compared to both the state and the country.

The most expensive city to live in Utah is the Salt Lake City metro area. There, the cost of living is 1.4% lower than the average cost nationwide. The cost of living in Utah is 3.5% lower than is typical in the U.S.

Cities tend to have higher costs of living when their residents have higher incomes. In the Salt Lake City metro area the median household income is $80,196, compared to the median in Utah, which is $75,780. The metro area also has a poverty rate of 8.6%, compared to the Utah poverty rate of 8.9%

To determine the most expensive city in every state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on cost of living from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Metropolitan areas were ranked based on the regional price parity for all goods and services as of 2019. Supplemental data on median household income and poverty rate came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.

State Most expensive city Cost of living vs. nationwide State cost of living vs. nationwide Median household income ($)
Alabama Daphne-Fairhope-Foley 9.8% lower 14.2% lower 56,439
Alaska Fairbanks 6.8% higher 5.1% higher 72,065
Arizona Flagstaff 0.7% lower 3.7% lower 58,085
Arkansas Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers 11.8% lower 15.3% lower 61,674
California San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley 34.5% higher 16.4% higher 114,696
Colorado Boulder 6.7% higher 1.9% higher 88,535
Connecticut Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk 12.4% higher 5% higher 97,053
Delaware Dover 7.5% lower 0.6% lower 58,001
Florida Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach 11.7% higher 1% higher 60,141
Georgia Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta 2.1% lower 6.8% lower 71,742
Hawaii Urban Honolulu 23.8% higher 19.3% higher 87,470
Idaho Boise City 6.4% lower 7.8% lower 66,466
Illinois Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 2.8% higher 2.6% lower 75,379
Indiana Bloomington 8.5% lower 11.3% lower 52,526
Iowa Iowa City 7.1% lower 11% lower 63,761
Kansas Lawrence 8.9% lower 10.8% lower 64,233
Kentucky Lexington-Fayette 9.4% lower 12.6% lower 60,492
Louisiana New Orleans-Metairie 6.9% lower 12.1% lower 55,710
Maine Portland-South Portland 3.7% higher 0.7% lower 71,913
Maryland Baltimore-Columbia-Towson 5.8% higher 7.7% higher 83,160
Massachusetts Boston-Cambridge-Newton 15.5% higher 10.4% higher 94,430
Michigan Ann Arbor 0.6% higher 7.7% lower 76,576
Minnesota Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington 2.9% higher 2% lower 83,698
Mississippi Jackson 12.3% lower 15.6% lower 52,426
Missouri Kansas City 7.2% lower 11.3% lower 70,215
Montana Missoula 4.6% lower 6.5% lower 57,347
Nebraska Omaha-Council Bluffs 8.3% lower 10.5% lower 70,373
Nevada Reno 1.6% lower 2.6% lower 72,132
New Hampshire Manchester-Nashua 7.6% higher 6.5% higher 83,626
New Jersey Trenton-Princeton 6.2% higher 16% higher 79,492
New Mexico Santa Fe 3% lower 8.9% lower 61,298
New York New York-Newark-Jersey City 25.7% higher 16.3% higher 83,160
North Carolina Raleigh-Cary 3.9% lower 8.3% lower 80,096
North Dakota Bismarck 8.1% lower 10.7% lower 70,979
Ohio Columbus 8.4% lower 11.6% lower 67,207
Oklahoma Oklahoma City 10.2% lower 12.8% lower 60,605
Oregon Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 5% higher 2.2% higher 78,439
Pennsylvania Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 5.3% higher 3% lower 74,533
Rhode Island Providence-Warwick 0.3% higher 1.3% higher 70,967
South Carolina Charleston-North Charleston 2.9% lower 8.5% lower 70,505
South Dakota Sioux Falls 8.8% lower 12.2% lower 65,566
Tennessee Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin 5.6% lower 10.3% lower 70,262
Texas Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 1.7% higher 3.5% lower 69,193
Utah Salt Lake City 1.4% lower 3.5% lower 80,196
Vermont Burlington-South Burlington 6.2% higher 3.1% higher 74,909
Virginia Charlottesville 1.2% lower 1.3% higher 75,907
Washington Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 14.5% higher 8.4% higher 94,027
West Virginia Morgantown 10.2% lower 12.9% lower 56,395
Wisconsin Madison 3.6% lower 8.1% lower 75,545
Wyoming Casper 7% lower 7.2% lower 65,034

Find a Qualified Financial Advisor (Sponsor)

Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.