Georgia ranks 12th lowest in cost of living study
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By Pamela Permar-Shierling
Georgia ranked 12th best in the nation for overall cost of living according to a recent ranking by the Missouri Economic Research & Information Center (MERIC).
States are assigned an overall cost of living (COL) index score based on costs calculated across six categories – groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, health, and miscellaneous.
The index is based on a national average of 100. Scores below 100 indicate a more affordable cost of living.
Oklahoma led the nation in affordability with an overall COL index of 83.5, followed by Alabama at 85.0, Mississippi at 86.2, Kansas at 87.6, and West Virginia at 87.9.
All five most affordable states, except for Kansas, are led by Republican governors.
Georgia had a composite affordability index of 90.6, which placed the state between New Mexico (11th) and Texas (13th) in overall affordability.
Georgia ranked 10th lowest in housing costs nationwide with a cost-of-living index of 77.6 for housing.
The state had a COL index of 96.3 for transportation and 96.9 for groceries. Georgia ranked 24th in transportation affordability and 14th lowest in grocery costs.
The Peach State had a cost index of 98.6 for utilities, falling to 31st nationally in utility affordability.
Georgia’s highest cost index was for health care at 99.6, dropping to 23rd place for affordability among all fifty states.
Oklahoma had the lowest housing cost index of only 66.9, while Mississippi had the lowest grocery cost with an index of 93.2.
New Mexico led the nation in utility affordability with an index of only 80, followed closely by Montana at 80.2.
Oklahoma led the nation in transportation affordability at 83.7.
Mississippi ranked highest for health care affordability at 85.1.
The most expensive states were clustered in the West Coast and the Northeast, while more affordable states were found in the Midwest and Southeast.
Hawaii topped the list as the most expensive state with an index of 184.8, more than double the cost-of-living index of Georgia.
Hawaii was followed by Massachusetts, California, the District of Columbia, and Alaska. Apart from Alaska, the least affordable states are led by Democrat governors.
Massachusetts as the most expensive state for health care at 131.8, followed by Alaska at 130.
Hawaii and Alaska had the highest grocery cost rankings at 136.3 and 126.6.
Five other states had a grocery index of more than 109, including Maryland, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia, and the nation’s leading agricultural producing state, California.
Despite its rank as the most agriculturally productive state, California had the third highest grocery cost at 110.5.
Hawaii led the country with the highest housing cost index of 302.4, more than triple the national average.
Massachusetts ranked as the second most expensive state for housing at 217.5, followed by the District of Columbia at 190.4 and California at 189.5.
New York had the fifth highest housing cost with a COL index of 172.3.
Hawaii also held the top spot for highest utility costs at 183.5, followed by Alaska at 148.4.
Massachusetts was not far behind with a utility cost index of 143.9.
California also ranked among the most expensive states with a utility COL index of 134.6, along with Connecticut (126.5), Maine (124.6), and Rhode Island (122.3).
Hawaii residents faced the highest transportation costs with a COL index for transportation of 149. However, California came in a close second at 142.
The rankings are based on the national Council for Community & Economic Research (C2ER) survey of cities across the nation.
