United States and Canada · 1336 cities · 298 subjects
The cost index, city by city
Published cost figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Statistics Canada, the Federal Reserve, the IRS and Freddie Mac: 490 sourced values across 298 subjects, each with the publisher and the date it covers.
Subjects by category
Each subject is filed under the kind of cost it is.
Medical and dental
Charges for procedures, imaging, dental treatment and veterinary visits.
40 subjectsHome services
What trades charge to repair, replace and maintain a house.
40 subjectsLoans and credit
Interest, fees and the carrying cost of credit.
14 subjectsInsurance
Premiums for home, auto, life and health cover.
17 subjectsLegal
Hourly rates, flat fees and court filing amounts.
11 subjectsVehicles
Purchase, running and repair costs for vehicles.
31 subjectsProperty
Rent, transaction and ownership costs for property.
16 subjectsEvents and weddings
Venue, photography, planning and rental costs.
8 subjectsLife events
Funeral and estate costs, including those that arrive without warning.
1 subjectsPets
Veterinary, grooming, boarding and training costs.
11 subjectsSenior care
Assisted living, in-home care and hospice costs.
9 subjectsChildren and family
Childcare, birth and school-age costs.
4 subjectsEducation
Tuition, bootcamp and professional training costs.
14 subjectsBeauty and wellness
Salon, spa, fitness and personal care costs.
12 subjectsTravel
Airfare, lodging, cruise and passport costs.
6 subjectsRecreation
Hobby, sport and outdoor recreation costs.
12 subjectsBusiness
What a business pays for the services it buys.
17 subjectsTechnology
Device, connectivity and IT service costs.
9 subjects
The index by state and province
Open a state or province to see every subject with published data there.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Washington, D.C.
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Nova Scotia
- Northwest Territories
- Nunavut
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec
- Saskatchewan
- Yukon
- Northeast
- Midwest
- South
- West
Most-documented subjects
The subjects with the largest number of published figures.
Heating and Cooling
Published figures with sources and dates.
Plumbing
Published figures with sources and dates.
Auto Repair
Published figures with sources and dates.
Moving
Published figures with sources and dates.
Motorcycle Prices
Published figures with sources and dates.
ATV and UTV Prices
Published figures with sources and dates.
RVs and Campers
Published figures with sources and dates.
Truck Prices
Published figures with sources and dates.
Mortgages
Published figures with sources and dates.
Refinancing
Published figures with sources and dates.
Home Equity
Published figures with sources and dates.
Investing
Published figures with sources and dates.
Free calculators
Every calculator runs in your browser. Nothing you enter leaves your device.
Loan payment calculator
Set an amount, an annual rate and a term in months. The sheet returns the monthly payment, the interest paid over the term and the total repaid.
Affordability calculator
Enter income, existing debt payments and the debt-to-income limit a lender is likely to apply to see the loan amount that limit supports.
Refinance break-even calculator
Compare the current payment with the refinanced payment to see the months needed to recover closing costs and the interest saved.
Total cost of ownership calculator
Enter purchase price, financing cost, running costs and resale value to reduce ownership to a single annual figure.
Cost per unit calculator
Enter the size and price of two packages to compare them by the cost of one unit.
Debt payoff calculator
Enter a balance, a rate and a fixed monthly payment to see the months to clear it and the effect of paying more.
Borrowing guides
Where a cost is usually borrowed rather than saved for.
How to Pay for Dental Work: Four Financing Routes Compared
Cash, an in-house plan, a dental lender or a personal loan: what each one commits you to, and the questions that move the final number.
Financing a Roof Replacement: Options, Costs and Pitfalls
Cash, contractor financing, a home equity product or a personal loan: how each route prices a re-roof, and which questions change the total.
Debt Consolidation: When It Works, and When It Backfires
One loan can cut the monthly payment and raise the total. How to tell which outcome you are getting before signing.
No-Closing-Cost Refinance: What You Are Really Trading
A no-closing-cost refinance is never free. It is a higher rate bought with the fees. Here is how to decide whether the trade pays off.
Choosing a Loan Term: The Trade Between Payment and Total Cost
A longer term cuts the payment and raises total interest. How to pick the term that fits your budget without paying for years you do not need.
What a Loan Actually Costs, Beyond the Interest Rate
The rate is the headline, not the cost. Origination fees, insurance, prepayment penalties and term length decide what you actually pay.
HELOC vs Personal Loan: Which Borrowing Route Costs Less
A home equity line is secured and usually cheaper; a personal loan is unsecured and fixed. How the two compare on total cost, risk and speed.
Personal Loan vs Credit Card for Debt: Which Clears It Cheaper
A personal loan fixes the rate and the term; a credit card is flexible and usually far more expensive. How to choose when clearing a balance.
How to Finance a Car With Bad Credit
A lower credit score raises the rate and narrows the lender list. How to price the loan, protect the car and avoid the finance desk's costliest products.
Paying for Veterinary Bills: Options When the Estimate Is Large
Emergency vet care arrives as a large estimate with no payment plan attached. The routes that exist, what each costs, and the questions to ask before treatment.
Payday Loan Alternatives: What to Use Instead
A payday loan prices at an annual rate in the hundreds of per cent. The alternatives, ranked by cost, and how to choose one under pressure.
Financing a Wedding Without Starting Married Life in Debt
A wedding is consumed in a day and repaid over years. The routes that exist, what each costs, and the questions that keep the total down.
Financing Home Improvements: Which Route Fits the Job
Cash, a contractor plan, a home equity product or a personal loan: how each route prices a renovation, and which questions move the total.
Mortgage Pre-Approval: What It Proves and What It Does Not
A pre-approval is a lender's conditional offer, not a guarantee. What it checks, how long it lasts, and the mistakes that void it.
How Much House Can You Afford: The Arithmetic Lenders Use
Lenders test income, debts and the mortgage payment against published rate averages. How to run the same arithmetic before you shop.
Student Loan Refinancing: When the Math Works
Refinancing replaces student debt with a private loan. When the rate saving is real, and what protections you give up.
The Risk of Co-Signing a Loan
A co-signer is a full borrower in the lender's eyes. What that means for credit, collections and the balance, and how to limit the exposure.
What Credit Score Does a Loan Need?
There is no single cutoff. How lenders tier rates by score, and what to do when your file sits below the prime tier.
How to Lower a Monthly Payment Without Raising the Total
A payment falls for two reasons: a lower rate or a longer term. How to tell which one you are getting, and how to keep the total down.
Balance Transfer vs Personal Loan: Which Clears the Balance
A promotional transfer is cheaper if you clear it in time. A personal loan is cheaper if you need a fixed schedule. How to decide.
How the numbers are kept honest
One rule governs every number here: if an authority publishes it, it appears with the source and the date; if no one publishes it, the page says so. Nothing is estimated, interpolated or rounded into existence.