Cost of Living Visualizer — Compare Any Two States (2026)

The cost of living index measures the relative cost of goods and services compared to a national baseline (1.00). An index of 1.32 (California) means it costs 32% more to maintain the same standard of living there compared to an average US state. The index covers housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and miscellaneous expenses.

Mississippi is consistently the most affordable state, with a cost of living index around 0.79 — meaning your dollar goes 21% further than the national average. Arkansas, West Virginia, and Oklahoma also rank among the cheapest states. Low housing costs are the primary driver of affordability.

To compare, divide the salary in City A by the City A cost of living index, and divide the salary in City B by the City B index. The resulting numbers show equivalent purchasing power. For example, $80,000 in Seattle (COL 1.18) = $67,797 in equivalent purchasing power, which is less than $75,000 in Phoenix (COL 0.97) = $77,319 equivalent.

It depends on the magnitude of each change. Moving from California ($120k salary, COL 1.32) to Texas ($100k salary, COL 0.88) often increases real purchasing power: $120k/1.32 = $90,909 vs $100k/0.88 = $113,636 equivalent purchasing power. Plus Texas has no state income tax. Run the numbers for your specific situation.