It is expensive to live in the D.C. region, and a midyear cost of living index ranking cities globally puts the area in the top 10 for cost of living.
Numbeo, which calls itself “the world’s largest cost of living database,” ranks the D.C. metro No. 7 for cost of living globally.
The rankings are based on its own cost of living index, as well as indexes for rent, cost of living plus rent, grocery costs, restaurant prices and local purchasing power.
The D.C. metro also ranks 7th-highest for rent, No. 8 for restaurant costs, No. 13 for grocery expenses and No. 29 for local purchasing power.
Numbeo’s methodology sets its index base to New York City, with a baseline index of 100% of New York. By that measure, the cost of living in the D.C. metro is 17.5% lower than it is in New York. No. 1 on the list is Zurich, where the cost of living is 1.7% higher than it is in New York City.
The most recently published data covers January through June for its 2024 midyear report.
Seven of the 10 most expensive cities for cost of living are in the U.S.
The top 10 cities on Numbeo’s 2024 midyear cost of living index are:
- Geneva
- Zurich
- New York City
- San Francisco
- Boston
- Reykjavik
- D.C.
- Seattle
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
The full database, searchable by category, is online.