Cost of Living Varies Widely Across the U.S.

Source: The Council for Community and Economic Research Cost of Living Index, 2025 (2024 data)

Residents of Manhattan, NY, live in the nation’s most expensive urban neighborhoods, paying more than twice the national average to maintain a “professional/managerial” standard of living. By contrast, individuals who live in Decatur, IL, can stretch their dollars the farthest, paying less than 80% of the national average. Here are the five most and least expensive urban areas of the country, according to The Council for Community and Economic Research Cost of Living Index (COLI).