Texarkana faired very well in the most recent local Cost of Living Index is a joint project with the Texarkana USA Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Council for Community and Economic Research. Once again, proving that Texarkana is a great place to call home.
Among the 265 urban areas that participated in the first quarter 2021 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)
First Quarter 2021 |
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| Most Expensive | Least Expensive | ||||||
| COL | COL | ||||||
| Ranking | Urban Areas | Index | Ranking | Urban Areas | Index | ||
| 1 | New York (Manhattan) NY | 240.6 | 1 | Kalamazoo MI | 76.3 | ||
| 2 | San Francisco CA | 188.0 | 2 | Harlingen TX | 77.0 | ||
| 3 | Honolulu HI | 187.6 | 3 | McAllen TX | 78.4 | ||
| 4 | New York (Brooklyn) NY | 174.6 | 4 | Muskogee OK | 79.4 | ||
| 5 | Washington DC | 154.7 | 5 | Richmond IN | 80.9 | ||
| 6 | Boston MA | 151.8 | 6 | Jackson-Madison County TN | 81.2 | ||
| 7 | Seattle WA | 151.8 | 7 | Amarillo TX | 81.2 | ||
| 8 | Orange County CA | 151.0 | 8 | Kokomo IN | 82.3 | ||
| 9 | Oakland CA | 150.3 | 9 | Tupelo MS | 82.3 | ||
| 10 | New York (Queens) NY | 148.1 | 10 | Pittsburg KS | 82.4 | ||
Texarkana TX 82.6
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 component categories – housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services.
| What Do Groceries Cost?
Each quarter, C2ER collects more than 90,000 prices from communities across the US for the Cost of Living Index. The Texarkana USA Regional Chamber of Commerce collects the data locally. 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 Five Most and Least Expensive Places for Grocery Items by Index Number in the Cost of Living Index (COLI) First Quarter 2021 – Average for 265 Urban Areas = 100 |
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| Most Expensive | Least Expensive | ||||||||
| Ranking | Urban Areas | Index | Ranking | Urban Areas | Index | ||||
| 1 | Honolulu HI | 157.9 | 1 Temple TX | 77.0 | |||||
| 2 | New York (Manhattan) NY | 147.4 | 2 Kalamazoo MI | 77.9 | |||||
| 3 | Kodiak AK | 144.7 | 3 Waco TX | 78.5 | |||||
| 4 | Juneau AK | 140.6 | 4 Harlingen TX | 79.2 | |||||
| 5 | Seattle WA | 131.4 | 5 Nacogdoches TX | 84.5 | |||||
Texarkana, TX 94.0