According to GOBankingRates, American household debt totaled a record $12.73 trillion as of March 2017, making cost of living concerns are more pertinent than ever. Surprisingly, the cost of living has actually gone down in New York, San Francisco, and Honolulu.
Personal finance news and features website GOBankingRates conducted a study to identify which cities across America have seen the largest increase in cost of living expenses from 2016 to 2017. The study evaluated U.S. cities based on two principal metrics:
- The increase in a city's cost of living index, which includes food, rent, utilities and transportation.
- The Increase in the amount of income required to "live comfortably," a concept used in GOBankingRates studies that combines the money needed to pay for necessities — including food, rent, utilities, transportation and healthcare — with the amount one should budget toward discretionary spending and savings.
Top 10 Cities Where the Cost of Living is Rising Quickly
5. Jacksonville, Fla.
- Live Comfortably Amount Increase: $2,095
- Cost of Living Index Increase: 3.36 points
4. Austin, Texas
- Live Comfortably Amount Increase: $1,407
- Cost of Living Index Increase: 3.84 points
3. Louisville, Ky.
- Live Comfortably Amount Increase: $2,066
- Cost of Living Index Increase: 4.49 points
2. Seattle
- Live Comfortably Amount Increase: $3,190
- Cost of Living Index Increase: 7.32 points
1. Nashville, Tenn.
- Live Comfortably Amount Increase: $9,135
- Cost of Living Index Increase: 8.61 points
Read the full survey at: The 10 U.S. Cities Where the Cost of Living is Rising Fastest
