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Housing inventory risingAn increase in homes to choose from is good news for buyers.
Buy a home near a star schoolGive your kid a shot at the best education with one of these homes.
Midcentury-modern marvelsThese sleek homes may be 60 years old, but their appeal is surging.
World's tallest places to liveHeight sells — but who's buying?
10 opulent party padsThese homes would befit 'The Great Gatsby' or any reveler.
Not for sale? Not a problemWith a tight inventory, agents are coaxing homeowners to sell.
World's densest megacitiesThese cities have the most people packed into them per square mile.
Mega-homes in the priciest ZIP codesCheck out homes for sale in the most expensive ZIP codes in the country.
Beautiful U.S. mansions for saleBuy yourself some elbow room with one of these expansive homes.
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Gee, I wonder if these landowners rent units to low-income people.
I'm currently in Los Angeles and am renting an apartment through the HUD Section 8 program and I feel the rent here is way too high for this neighborHOOD!
Top 5 cities with the highest cost of living
By Cameron Huddleston of Kiplinger
When you leave the nation’s interior and head to the coasts, prices jump. In fact, half of the most expensive cities on our list are in California. The rest are on the East Coast and in far-flung Hawaii and Alaska.
We compiled our rankings based on data from the ACCRA Cost of Living Index produced by the Council for Community and Economic Research. The Index measures relative price levels for housing, utilities, transportation, groceries, health care and miscellaneous goods and services (it does not include taxes). A composite score of 100 reflects the national average. Scores lower than 100 reflect a lower-than-average cost of living, and scores higher than 100 reflect a higher-than-average cost of living. Median household income and average home prices are from the Toronto-based Martin Prosperity Institute. Our sample includes all metropolitan areas of at least 75,000 residents.
Slide show: Top 5 cities with the lowest cost of living
View the full list of America's most expensive cities on Kiplinger.com.
Top 5 cities with the highest cost of living
1. New York
Cost-of-living index: 218
Metro population: 18.92 million
Median household income: $60,964
Avg. home price: $1.15 million
It should be no surprise that New York is first on this list. Housing costs that are four times the national average are a big reason that the overall cost of living is so high. But everything from groceries to utilities is much pricier in Manhattan than in the rest of the nation. A New Yorker would have to make $127,935 a year to have the same standard of living as someone earning $50,000 in Fort Smith, Ark., the least expensive city.
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Top 5 cities with the highest cost of living
2. Honolulu
Cost-of-living index: 163
Metro population: 903,231
Median household income: $64,355
Avg. home price: $709,945
You have to pay a high price to live in this island paradise. The average home price is well above the national average, and consumer goods and services are more expensive here than in many places on the mainland.
View the full list of America's most expensive cities on Kiplinger.com.
Top 5 cities with the highest cost of living
3. San Francisco
Cost-of-living index: 162.1
Metro population: 4.22 million
Median household income: $72,059
Avg. home price: $815,556
With the highest home prices in California and second-highest in the nation, it’s no wonder San Francisco is one of the most expensive places. However, it stays out of the second-place spot on our list because costs for groceries and utilities are much less in San Francisco than in Honolulu.
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Top 5 cities with the highest cost of living
4. Santa Ana (Orange County), Calif.
Cost-of-living index: 146.5
Metro population: 12,81 million
Median household income: $56,680
Avg. home price: $748,359
Orange County is home to Disneyland as well as Newport Beach, (pictured here with the Santa Ana Mountains as the backdrop). Some of the most exclusive and expensive neighborhoods in the nation are here. Not only are home prices well above the national average, costs for everything from groceries to health care run higher. California also has some of the highest income taxes in the country.
View the full list of America's most expensive cities on Kiplinger.com.
Top 5 cities with the highest cost of living
5. Stamford, Conn.
Cost-of-living index: 145.9
Bridgeport/Stamford metro population: 903,425
Median household income: $66,870
Avg. home price: $626,611
Although the Bridgeport/Stamford metropolitan area is among the places where home prices have fallen most, housing costs still are twice the national average. However, the city is a much moreaffordable option than nearby New York City.
Slide show: Top 5 cities with the lowest cost of living
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