Cost of Living Index Quarterly Update

Among the 259 urban areas that participated in the second quarter 2018Cost of Living Index, the after-tax cost for a professional/managerial standard of living ranged from more than twice the national average in New York (Manhattan) NY to almost25percent below the national average in Harlingen, TX. The Cost of Living Index is published quarterly by C2ER –The Council for Community and Economic Research. Quarter 2, 2018 marks the 50^th Anniversary year of the publication.

 

The Ten Most and Least Expensive Urban Areas in the Cost of Living Index (COLI) Second Quarter 2018 National Average for 259 Urban Areas = 100
Most Expensive				Least Expensive
		COL				COL
Ranking	Urban Areas	Index		Ranking	Urban Areas		Index
1	New York (Manhattan) NY		238.3	1	Harlingen TX		75.7
2	San Francisco CA		190.0	2	McAllen TX		78.0
3	Honolulu HI		185.5	3	Kalamazoo MI		79.5
4	New York (Brooklyn) NY		177.4	4	Memphis TN		79.9
5	Washington DC		156.6	5	Richmond IN		80.2
6	Oakland CA		152.2	6	Knoxville TN		81.1
7	Seattle WA		152.2	7	Conway AR		81.5
8	New York (Queens) NY		150.9	8	Wichita Falls TX		82.3
9	Boston MA		149.8	9	Gulfport-Biloxi MS		83.1
10	Arlington VA		149.6	10	Sherman-Denison TX		83.2

 

 

The Cost of Living Index measures regional differences in the cost of consumer goods and services, excluding taxes and non-consumer expenditures, for professional and managerial households in the top income quintile. It is based on more than 90,000 prices covering 60 different items for which prices are collected quarterly by chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and university applied economic centers in each participating urban area. Small differences should not be interpreted as showing a measurable difference.

The composite index is based on six component categories – housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services.

 

	13.47% Grocery Items	28.15% Housing	9.90% Utilities	8.99% Trans-portation	4.57% Health Care	34.92% Misc. Goods And Services
Findlay OH	95.3	90.9	88.4	98.8	97.9	97.7

The City of Findlay’s second quarter 2018 Cost of Living Index was 94.6, 5.4 percent below that of the national average. The City of Findlay’s composite index reflects the following six different categories of consumer expenditures.

 

Additionally, Findlay ranked third among participating Ohio urban areas.

 

The Most to Least Expensive Urban Areas in Ohio in the Cost of Living Index (COLI) Second Quarter 2018 National Average for 259 Urban Areas = 100
Ranking	Urban Areas	COL Index
1	Cleveland-Elyria		97.8
2	Akron		97.0
3	Findlay		94.6
4	Cincinnati		94.3
5	Columbus		90.9
6	Dayton		89.8
7	Lima		87.5
8	Ashland		85.8

 

Compared to other Ohio cities, Findlay’s data showed that it ranked least expensive in the Utilities category, and the most expensive in the Housing cost category.  Findlay is listed as third least expensive in the Miscellaneous Goods category, above Akron and Lima. Findlay ranked fourth in Health Care costs behind Lima, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. Compared to the other participating cities in Ohio, Findlay ranked fifth in Grocery and Transportation costs.

What Do Groceries Cost?

Each quarter, C2ER collects more than 90,000 prices from communities across the US for the Cost of Living Index. With food prices a big part of the national media attention, C2ER decided to once again feature those communities with the most and least expensive food costs as measured by the grocery item index number.  C2ER collects data on twenty-six items from a variety of surrogate categories to represent the grocery item component of the index.

 

 

The Most to Least Expensive Places for Grocery Items in Ohio by Index Numberin the Cost of Living Index (COLI)Second Quarter 2018 National Average for 259 Urban Areas = 100
Ranking	Urban Areas	COL Index
1	Cleveland-Elyria		112.4
2	Ashland		104.0
3	Akron		103.0
4	Dayton		96.9
5	Findlay		95.3
6	Columbus		94.9
7	Lima		91.3
8	Cincinnati		90.4

 

The Most Expensive Cities to Practice Yoga

 

To mark the 50th anniversary of the publication, and the better reflect recreational activities available, C2ER updated the Index to now include the price for a one-hour drop-in yoga class. With this new data, we thought users would be interested to compare the top five more and five least expensive cities to practice yoga.

 

The Five Most and Least Expensive Places in Ohio for a Drop-in Hour Yoga Class Second Quarter 2018 Average for 259 Urban Areas = $15.04
Ranking	Urban Areas	Avg. Price
1	Columbus		16.80
2	Cincinnati		16.56
3	Dayton		16.25
4	Cleveland-Elyria		15.20
5	Akron		14.00
6	Findlay		14.00
7	Ashland		10.00
8	Lima		7.50

 

For more information on the C2ER Cost of Living Index, contact the Chamber at 419-422-3313 or e-mail info@FindlayHancockChamber.com.

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About The Findlay•Hancock County Alliance:

The Findlay•Hancock County Alliance is a partnership bringing growth and prosperity to the Findlay/Hancock County community. Through a strong economic development focus, leadership programs, business building initiatives and volunteer opportunities, the Alliance helps position its community among the best micropolitan communities in the United States. The Alliance is a blend of the area’s best resources including the Findlay•Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development and the Hancock County Convention & Visitors Bureau.