While the price increase in the United States is no longer the same as what we saw last year, inflation in the country is still at high levels at the beginning of 2023, so you may be wondering how convenient the city in which you live is. To help you answer that concern, we give you here a first input: the list of the most expensive cities in the country.
Santa Barbara is the most expensive city in the United States, according to data analysis site Numbeo’s cost of living and rent index. They are followed by New York City, and two more Californians (San Francisco and Oakland). In fact, the presence of California is the most prominent in the ranking, since five of the 10 most expensive are in that western state.
The Numbeo values taken as a reference combine two indices: the cost of living and the income. The cost of living is compiled based on the prices of consumer goods that include groceries, restaurants, transportation, and utilities. The rent adds the cost of rentals to the equation.
With these data, this is the list of the most expensive cities:
Santa Barbara, California
New York (New York)
San francisco California)
Oakland (California)
Honolulu (Hawaii)
Seattle (Washington)
Boston (Massachusetts)
San Diego, California)
San Jose (California)
Washington (District of Columbia)
If cost of living without rent were taken into account, Santa Barbara would still be in first place, New York would drop to fourth place, and Honolulu would move up to second place, albeit with insignificant differences.
However, if we take Honolulu as an example, the city is up to the fifth most expensive city in the US due to its low rent index.
