Cost of Living Update Q2 2022

Among the 261 urban areas that participated in the second quarter 2022 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 Kalamazoo, MI. 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 (COLI) Second Quarter 2022 National Average for 261 Urban Areas = 100
Most Expensive				Least Expensive
Ranking	Urban Areas	COL Index		Ranking	Urban Areas	COL Index
1	New York (Manhattan) NY		237.7	1	Kalamazoo MI	75.6
2	Honolulu HI		189.9	2	Muskogee OK	76.5
3	San Francisco CA		183.6	3	Harlingen TX	77.0
4	New York (Brooklyn) NY		174.0	4	McAllen TX	78.8
5	Los Angeles-Long Beach CA		155.1	5	Decatur IL	79.9
6	Boston MA		154.6	6	Joplin MO	80.7
7	Washington DC		154.5	7	Tupelo MS	80.9
8	Orange County CA		154.3	8	Richmond IN	82.0
9	Seattle WA		150.5	9	Thomasville-Lexington NC	82.0
10	Oakland CA		147.1	10	Albany GA	82.3

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 components – housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services.

The City of Findlay’s 2022 Q2 Cost of Living Index was 89.9, which is 10.1 percent below 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	93.8	71.7	93.2	92.9	94.5	104.0

The Most to Least Expensive Urban Areas in Ohio in the Cost of Living Index (COLI) Second Quarter 2022 National Average for 261 Urban Areas = 100
Ranking	Urban Areas	COL Index
1	Cincinnati		95.1
2	Cleveland		93.4
3	Dayton		92.9
4	Findlay		89.9
5	Columbus		88.9

Compared to other Ohio cities, Findlay’s data showed that it ranked second-least expensive in Utilities, Transportation, and Health Care costs. Findlay was ranked most affordable in the Housing and Grocery categories compared to the other participating Ohio cities.

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 still being a big part of the national conversation, 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 to Buy Groceries in OhioSecond Quarter 2022National Average for 261 Urban Areas = 100
Ranking	Urban Areas	COL Index
1	Cleveland		105.4
2	Cincinnati		100.9
3	Dayton		97.7
4	Columbus		95.9
5	Findlay		93.8