Cost of Living Update for End of Year 2021

Among the 267 urban areas that participated in the 2021 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 almost 25 percent below the national average in Kalamazoo, MI. This analysis uses average prices submitted for the first three quarters of 2021. The Cost of Living Index is published quarterly by C2ER – The Council for Community and Economic Research.

The Ten Most and Least Expensive Urban Areas in the Cost of Living Index Year-End Review of Three Quarters in 2021 National Average for 267 Urban Areas = 100
Most Expensive			Least Expensive
Ranking	Urban Areas	Index	Ranking	Urban Areas	Index
1	New York (Manhattan) NY	255.0	1	Kalamazoo MI	75.7
2	San Francisco CA	194.1	2	Harlingen TX	76.6
3	Honolulu HI	193.3	3	McAllen TX	76.8
4	New York (Brooklyn) NY	178.8	4	Muskogee OK	78.7
5	Washington DC	153.9	5	Jackson MS	79.6
6	Orange County CA	152.7	6	Amarillo TX	80.7
7	Oakland CA	153.9	7	Tupelo MS	81.3
8	Boston MA	153.2	8	Richmond IN	82.0
9	Seattle WA	152.7	9	Anniston-Calhoun County AL	82.1
10	New York (Queens) NY	150.9	10	Pittsburg KS	82.2

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 50,000 prices covering almost 60 different items for which prices are collected three times a year by chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, or university applied economic centers in each participating urban area. Small differences in the index numbers should not be interpreted as significant.

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

The City of Findlay’s overall 2021 Cost of Living Index was 91.1, which is 8.9 percent below that of the national average. The City of Findlay’s composite index reflects the following six different categories of consumer expenditures, where 100 is the national average:

	Grocery Items	Housing	Utilities	Trans-portation	Health Care	Misc. GoodsAnd Services
Findlay OH	101.3	75.6	88.9	98.5	95.6	99.6

The Most to Least Expensive Urban Areas in Ohio in the Cost of Living Index (COLI)Year-End Review of Three Quarters in 2021National Average for 267 Urban Areas = 100
Ranking	Urban Areas	COL Index
1	Cleveland		93.7
2	Cincinnati		92.2
3	Columbus		91.5
4	Findlay		91.1
5	Dayton		90.4
6	Lima		88.8

Compared to other Ohio cities, Findlay’s data showed that it ranked second-least expensive in the Utilities category. The data also shows that Findlay ranked third least expensive in Housing and Health Care costs.

Now with a year’s worth of data, which communities have the highest and lowest prices of Cascade dishwashing pods?

C2ER collects more than 50,000 prices from communities across the US for the COLI. One of these items was updated at the start of 2021, Cascade dishwashing pods, in order to keep the index pricing relevant to the ever-evolving demands of the current market. See the chart below for the Ohio comparison:

The Most to Least Expensive Places to Buy Cascade Dishwashing Pods Averaged over Three Quarters in 2021 Average for 267 Urban Areas in 2021 = $19.00
Ranking	Urban Areas	COL Index
1	Columbus		$20.38
2	Cleveland		$20.32
3	Lima		$19.97
4	Findlay		$19.90
5	Cincinnati		$18.91
6	Dayton		$17.99