Cheapest States to Live in the U.S.
Ranked by average cost-of-living index of cities in each state (U.S. = 100). Lower is more affordable.
Current lowest-cost state: Oklahoma
This page ranks the cheapest states in the U.S. based on statewide cost and housing signals from our dataset. Oklahoma currently leads, and the full state ranking appears below.
Oklahoma
Top-ranked location at a glance
Current #1 in this ranking
In the model, a more affordable location like Oklahoma has a cost-of-living index of 97.9 (U.S. = 100) and median rent around $1,042/mo. The estimated salary needed to live comfortably is about $41,683/yr; the biggest estimated monthly driver is Rent (housing). In this area (mid-range), the model’s rent math puts housing in a “Moderate” bucket: rent is meaningful, so budgeting matters and rent (housing) is the main lever in the estimates.
Cost-of-living tier: moderate
What drives the budget here?
This area is generally mid-range based on a cost-of-living index of 97.9 (U.S. average = 100). Typical rent-to-gross is in the Moderate range (using the page’s rent and income inputs).
In the site’s estimated monthly breakdown, the largest category is Rent (housing) (1,042/mo), so that’s the biggest lever for moving the overall budget up or down.
Practical next steps
- Rent is meaningful but still near the affordability guideline. A small move to a lower-rent neighborhood (or a higher gross income) can make the budget feel much steadier.
Browse the full ranking below.
Showing 51 states
| # | State | Avg COLI | Avg median rent | Cities | Est. salary to live |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma | 97.9 | $1,042/mo | 16 | $41,683 |
| 2 | Alabama | 98.3 | $1,058/mo | 24 | $42,334 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 98.4 | $944/mo | 8 | $37,743 |
| 4 | Kansas | 98.6 | $1,082/mo | 16 | $43,278 |
| 5 | Tennessee | 98.7 | $1,264/mo | 28 | $50,564 |
| 6 | Missouri | 98.9 | $1,092/mo | 29 | $43,672 |
| 7 | New Mexico | 99.1 | $1,022/mo | 11 | $40,893 |
| 8 | Arkansas | 99.2 | $941/mo | 19 | $37,626 |
| 9 | Iowa | 99.3 | $987/mo | 19 | $39,473 |
| 10 | Ohio | 99.3 | $1,037/mo | 62 | $41,487 |
| 11 | Michigan | 99.4 | $1,108/mo | 50 | $44,314 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | 99.4 | $1,090/mo | 25 | $43,592 |
| 13 | Texas | 99.5 | $1,404/mo | 132 | $56,160 |
| 14 | Indiana | 99.6 | $1,070/mo | 40 | $42,782 |
| 15 | North Carolina | 99.6 | $1,242/mo | 43 | $49,672 |
| 16 | Louisiana | 99.7 | $1,033/mo | 18 | $41,314 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 99.8 | $1,079/mo | 35 | $43,160 |
| 18 | Maryland | 99.9 | $1,748/mo | 57 | $69,918 |
| 19 | Alaska | 100 | $1,389/mo | 3 | $55,553 |
| 20 | Connecticut | 100 | $1,371/mo | 24 | $54,833 |
| 21 | Delaware | 100 | $1,283/mo | 3 | $51,300 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | 100 | $1,805/mo | 1 | $72,200 |
| 23 | Florida | 100 | $1,605/mo | 172 | $64,197 |
| 24 | Georgia | 100 | $1,372/mo | 48 | $54,864 |
| 25 | Hawaii | 100 | $2,092/mo | 10 | $83,672 |
| 26 | Idaho | 100 | $1,171/mo | 14 | $46,829 |
| 27 | Illinois | 100 | $1,334/mo | 87 | $53,348 |
| 28 | Kentucky | 100 | $948/mo | 16 | $37,913 |
| 29 | Maine | 100 | $1,213/mo | 4 | $48,525 |
| 30 | Minnesota | 100 | $1,389/mo | 43 | $55,552 |
| 31 | Mississippi | 100 | $1,087/mo | 16 | $43,465 |
| 32 | Montana | 100 | $1,029/mo | 7 | $41,140 |
| 33 | New Hampshire | 100 | $1,375/mo | 5 | $55,000 |
| 34 | North Dakota | 100 | $942/mo | 7 | $37,666 |
| 35 | South Carolina | 100 | $1,274/mo | 22 | $50,962 |
| 36 | South Dakota | 100 | $896/mo | 3 | $35,840 |
| 37 | Vermont | 100 | $1,529/mo | 1 | $61,140 |
| 38 | West Virginia | 100 | $796/mo | 5 | $31,844 |
| 39 | Wyoming | 100 | $915/mo | 4 | $36,615 |
| 40 | Virginia | 100.1 | $1,689/mo | 45 | $67,543 |
| 41 | Utah | 100.2 | $1,469/mo | 38 | $58,779 |
| 42 | Colorado | 100.6 | $1,703/mo | 34 | $68,134 |
| 43 | Oregon | 100.8 | $1,513/mo | 27 | $60,527 |
| 44 | Rhode Island | 100.8 | $1,236/mo | 7 | $49,437 |
| 45 | Massachusetts | 100.9 | $1,718/mo | 64 | $68,720 |
| 46 | Arizona | 101 | $1,409/mo | 38 | $56,365 |
| 47 | Nevada | 101 | $1,446/mo | 14 | $57,827 |
| 48 | New York | 101.4 | $1,686/mo | 66 | $67,423 |
| 49 | Washington | 101.6 | $1,663/mo | 51 | $66,501 |
| 50 | New Jersey | 101.8 | $1,623/mo | 42 | $64,924 |
| 51 | California | 102.1 | $1,978/mo | 304 | $79,114 |