Analyst site Numbeo, which specializes in collecting data on consumer goods and services, has identified the most expensive cities in the US by cost of living in 2023.
How was the ranking made?
Analysts took spending in New York City as a benchmark, assigning it a cost of living index of 100. For example, the city of Santa Barbara in California has a cost of living index of 111.3. This means that Santa Barbara is 11.3% more expensive than New York.
The rating takes into account the prices of essential consumer goods, transport, utilities, restaurants, clothes, shoes, etc. Mortgage and apartment rental costs are considered separately.
The most expensive city in the US is Santa Barbara, where the cost of living index is 111.3. Honolulu (Hawaii) follows with 101.7%, and New York closes the top three.