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The United States is a very big country. Depending on where you are located, the price of living can vary wildly. In fact, the prices for services, food, and housing vary wildly across the US. To help better understand which are the best states to live in, we use the value of a dollar and real income metrics.
The value of a dollar means the equivalent amount of stuff you can buy with $1 in that state.
The real income metric is similar and takes into consideration the effects of purchasing power and inflation.
With that in mind, check out below the top 50 best states to live in based on affordability.
Table of Contents
#50 – 40. Best States to Live In
50. Hawaii
Value of a dollar: $0.84
Real income: $61,857
49. New York
Value of a dollar: $0.87
Real income: $52,775
48. California
Value of a dollar: $0.88
Real income: $56,878
47. New Jersey
Value of a dollar: $0.88
Real income: $63,688
46. Maryland
Value of a dollar: $0.91
Real income: $69,203
45. Connecticut
Value of a dollar: $0.92
Real income: $65,636
44. Massachusetts
Value of a dollar: $0.94
Real income: $66,069
43. Alaska
Value of a dollar: $0.95
Real income: $69,465
42. New Hampshire
Value of a dollar: $0.95
Real income: $66,955
41. Washington
Value of a dollar: $0.95
Real income: $61,192
40. Colorado
Value of a dollar: $0.97
Real income: $61,927
#39 – 30. Best States to Live In
39. Vermont
Value of a dollar: $0.98
Real income: $56,093
38. Virginia
Value of a dollar: $0.98
Real income: $64,646
37. Delaware
Value of a dollar: $1.00
Real income: $61,011
36. Illinois
Value of a dollar: $1.00
Real income: $59,767
35. Florida
Value of a dollar: $1.01
Real income: $49,674
34. Oregon
Value of a dollar: $1.01
Real income: $54,585
33. Rhode Island
Value of a dollar: $1.01
Real income: $58,838
32. Maine
Value of a dollar: $1.02
Real income: $52,545
31. Nevada
Value of a dollar: $1.02
Real income: $53,501
30. Pennsylvania
Value of a dollar: $1.02
Real income: $56,897
#29 – 20. Best States to Live In
29. Minnesota
Value of a dollar: $1.03
Real income: $65,183
28. Texas
Value of a dollar: $1.03
Real income: $57,493
27. Utah
Value of a dollar: $1.03
Real income: $64,858
26. Arizona
Value of a dollar: $1.04
Real income: $53,526
25. Wyoming
Value of a dollar: $1.04
Real income: $62,593
24. Montana
Value of a dollar: $1.05
Real income: $52,225
23. New Mexico
Value of a dollar: $1.06
Real income: $48,074
22. Idaho
Value of a dollar: $1.07
Real income: $51,686
21. Michigan
Value of a dollar: $1.07
Real income: $54,635
20. Wisconsin
Value of a dollar: $1.07
Real income: $59,762
#19 – 10. Best States to Live In
19. Georgia
Value of a dollar: $1.08
Real income: $55,339
18. North Dakota
Value of a dollar: $1.08
Real income: $65,609
17. Indiana
Value of a dollar: $1.10
Real income: $55,713
16. Louisiana
Value of a dollar: $1.10
Real income: $50,471
15. Nebraska
Value of a dollar: $1.10
Real income: $60,702
14. North Carolina
Value of a dollar: $1.10
Real income: $52,445
13. Iowa
Value of a dollar: $1.11
Real income: $60,616
12. Kansas
Value of a dollar: $1.11
Real income: $59,631
11. Oklahoma
Value of a dollar: $1.11
Real income: $54,024
10. South Carolina
Value of a dollar: $1.11
Real income: $52,312
#9 – 1. Best States to Live In
9. Tennessee
Value of a dollar: $1.11
Real income: $52,586
8. Missouri
Value of a dollar: $1.12
Real income: $56,258
7. Ohio
Value of a dollar: $1.12
Real income: $57,259
6. West Virginia
Value of a dollar: $1.12
Real income: $47,265
5. Kentucky
Value of a dollar: $1.13
Real income: $51,033
4. South Dakota
Value of a dollar: $1.13
Real income: $60,110
3. Arkansas
Value of a dollar: $1.14
Real income: $48,049
2. Alabama
Value of a dollar: $1.15
Real income: $51,573
1. Mississippi
Value of a dollar: $1.16
Real income: $47,092
Ideas for the top 50 best states to live in were taken from the following sources.[1]USA Today – Cost of living: The purchasing power of a dollar in every state[2]Time – This Map Shows the Average Income in Every State—and What It’s Really Worth[3]Investopedia – Real Income
