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American Chamber of Commerce Research Association (ACCRA)Cost of Living Index
The Cost of Living Index compiles costs of consumer products on a quarterly basis for approximately 300 cities and metropolitan areas in the United States. The average cost of living of all the cities participating in the survey is always scaled to equal 100. The purpose of the index is to compare living costs in a particular location to this average. The index cannot, however, be used to compare changes in costs over time, as the cities participating in the survey change each quarter.
Think of the index in terms of percentages. The average cost of living of all cities participating in the survey is 100 percent of itself. The cost of living in Olympia is 2.3 percent higher than this average. Does that sound high? Consumer costs in San Francisco are 79.8 percent higher than the average, with housing 228.4 percent higher!
Cost of Living Index: First Quarter 2001, Select U.S. Metropolitan Areas
|
City |
100%
Composite Index |
16%
Grocery
Items |
28%
Housing |
8%
Utilities |
10%
Trans-
portation |
5%
Health
Care |
33%
Misc. Goods & Services |
|
Average of Cities Participating in the Survey this Quarter |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Olympia |
102.3 |
106.6 |
99.2 |
78.8 |
104.8 |
127.1 |
104.1 |
|
Pullman nonmetropolitan area |
99.5 |
100.9 |
94.0 |
81.1 |
106.9 |
115.5 |
103.2 |
|
Richland-Kennewick-Pasco |
98.7 |
104.3 |
95.5 |
73.1 |
108.0 |
122.8 |
98.4 |
|
Spokane |
101.2 |
108.8 |
96.4 |
71.9 |
98.8 |
118.1 |
106.8 |
|
Tacoma |
101.4 |
114.0 |
93.6 |
80.3 |
107.2 |
123.5 |
101.8 |
|
Yakima |
101.7 |
103.5 |
107.0 |
77.1 |
93.9 |
127.6 |
100.6 |
|
Boise, ID |
100.4 |
96.5 |
109.2 |
74.8 |
101.1 |
110.7 |
99.2 |
|
Denver, CO |
109.6 |
114.9 |
118.0 |
103.6 |
109.7 |
127.1 |
98.8 |
|
New York (Manhattan), NY |
239.2 |
141.6 |
485.2 |
164.9 |
119.8 |
187.9 |
139.8 |
|
Portland, OR |
104.2 |
103.7 |
98.0 |
92.4 |
113.6 |
123.2 |
106.7 |
|
Sacramento, CA |
116.6 |
121.9 |
127.6 |
109.6 |
114.8 |
153.0 |
101.4 |
|
Salem, OR |
102.3 |
100.2 |
99.7 |
86.1 |
98.3 |
120.8 |
107.8 |
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San Franciso, CA |
179.8 |
118.9 |
328.4 |
134.2 |
129.3 |
170.5 |
111.1 |
Sources: ACCRA (American Chamber of Commerce Research Association) and Thurston Regional Planning Council.
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