Cost of living: Where in America would $100 go the farthest?

Cost of Living in the U.S. per $100

Via Vox’s Content Marketing 101 headline “70 Maps That Explain America,” and in turn this post, here’s a general idea of what $100 (national average) will get you in each state in the union:

U.S. Cost of Living By State

Some interesting things here, notably:

  • The Northeast corridor (I-95) is basically Germany in terms of economic output, but most of those places are bad against the $100 metric. Washington, DC — where $100 on the national average will only get you $84.60 of goods — is essentially the most expensive place in America.
  • Out of the five most populous states — California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois — only Texas and Florida give you a higher value for the $100. This makes sense.
  • If you want to live in a place where your money goes pretty far and your Presidential vote is meaningful, move to Ohio.
  • From a college football perspective, the SEC and the Big 12 are pretty much where you want to live if you want your money to go far.
  • Think about “social mobility” when you view this map; also think about where jobs will be in 2022.
  • This all kind of explains why I live in Fort Worth right now.

Ted Bauer