How Can You Compare the Cost of Living in Different Regions of the United States?
If you are thinking about moving to a new area of the United States or if you have been offered a job in another region, you can compare the cost of living in the new area to where you are now. By comparing the cost of living, you can see how much money you can comfortably live on in the new place, and how it compares to where you are presently. As of June 2010, all of the available cost of living comparison calculators compare cities and not regions, which means that you need to know the specific areas in the regions that you want to compare.
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Instructions
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Look at an atlas or map to identify cities in the different regions that you are interested in comparing. For instance, if you want to compare the South to the Midwest, you could use Atlanta, Georgia and Columbus, Ohio as cities from the two regions.
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Use the ACCRA Cost of Living Index (see Resources) if you want the most current cost of living data and do not mind paying. As of June 2010, you can compare cities for $7.95 for each comparison, or $.95 after the first comparison if you use the same “From” city. You can also purchase the entire cost of living index from the most recent quarter with prices starting at $75.
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Try a free online cost of living calculator if you do not want to pay for the comparison. Before using one of these, you should look in the fine print to see how recent the data is. For instance, as of June 2010, the CNN Money cost of living calculator is using data from December 2009, which is not as recent as the ACCRA Cost of Living Index.
For each calculator, you enter in two cities and your salary. For example, if you currently make $50,000 in Nashville, Tennessee, you can compare it with how much you would need to make in Seattle, Washington to live there and maintain the same standard of living. Some of the calculators, like the Bankrate Cost of Living Comparison Calculator, break down the results to show you the differences in everything from apartment rental prices to bowling prices.
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References
Resources
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