Among the 268 urban areas that participated in the third quarter 2019 Cost 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 more than 20 percent below the national average in Harlingen, TX.   The Cost of Living Index is published quarterly by C2ER – The Council for Community and Economic Research.

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 City of Findlay’s third quarter 2019 Cost of Living Index was 94.3, which is 5.7% below that of the national average of 100. The composite index is based on six categories: housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services. These numbers are compared to the national averages of 100.

Compared to other participating areas in Ohio, Findlay is ranked as most affordable in the utilities category. Findlay’s data showed that it ranked second least expensive in the cost of groceries. The data also says that Findlay ranked third least expensive in the health costs category.

What Do Groceries Cost?

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 Expensive and Least Expensive Cities to Purchase Movie Tickets

When the Quarter 3, 2019 prices were collected in mid-July, summer movie season was in full swing. Take a look at the table below to see what a movie ticket for a film in its first-run on a Saturday night a would cost in various destinations across the country.

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