Or maybe you thought about Lima, Ohio, the setting of the popular music comedy/drama Glee?
While the Cost of Living Index cannot give you a local’s description of what it’s like to live in these areas, COLI data can tell you how much it would cost to live in these areas.
Surprisingly, Lima, OH is the most expensive place to live among all three cities! It is 0.8% higher than the national average, which is quite a bit above both Scranton and Albuquerque. According to the data, it would seem Lima is more expensive in just about every category, except utilities.
The composite index says Albuquerque comes in at 93.9, which means it is about 6.1% less expensive than the national average to live there. Grocery items, transportation, and utilities are below the other two cities, whereas housing lands smack in the middle. Just don’t throw pizzas on their roofs no matter how expensive they are, okay?
Meanwhile, Scranton, PA is the least expensive of the three. Housing in the area is by far the lowest of all of them, as are healthcare and miscellaneous goods and services. However, utilities are more expensive than the others.
You can get much richer data in various regions, including breakdowns within each category and the ability to calculate comparable after-tax income, by clicking here. However, this quick analysis will give you a good overview of how much it would cost to live in now-famous cities, which might not have been otherwise if not for some popular television shows.
To learn more about other products or how your organization can become a data collection participant for the Cost of Living Index, visit www.coli.org.
