The Relative Value of $100 in Every American State and County

Via Visual Capitalist

Money at Face Value

Not all money is equal. Even though the face value of money stays relatively constant, the purchasing power that is behind it can differ wildly.

We know this intuitively with our personal experiences with things like inflation, but it is also true depending on where you are spending it. In an expensive metropolitan area it may cost more for ordinary goods, while in a rural place it may buy more than you may expect. Today’s charts use information from the Bureau of Economic Analysis to look at data at the state and county level to see where money can get the most “bang for the buck” in purchasing most goods and services.

Hawaii and D.C. are Money Pits

Looking at the cost of living by state level (and including the District of Columbia), the most expensive places to live are: Hawaii, Washington D.C., New York, and New Jersey. California and Maryland are close behind.

In all of these places, on average, spending $100 will only get you about $85 of goods and services relative to the rest of the country.

Here it is mapped:

The Value of $100 by State
The best places to get bang for your buck? Each dollar goes further in the Midwest and the South. Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, and South Dakota are among the cheapest states to live.

More Granularity by County

The data becomes much more interesting as it becomes more granular. It also makes sense because most people in Washington State know that money goes further in Spokane in comparison to Seattle. In the big metropolitan areas, or parts of remote states such as Alaska or Hawaii, the cost of living goes up significantly.

Here’s the data by county mapped:

The Value of $100 by County
Here’s the five most expensive places in America:

1. Honolulu ($81.37)
2. New York-Newark-Jersey City ($81.83)
3. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara ($81.97)
4. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk ($82.31)
5. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward ($82.44)

The cheapest place? It looks like it is rural Mississippi where $100 can buy you more than $125 of goods.

Original graphics from: Tax Foundation

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BUCKHED
BUCKHED

Or gold and silver which will buy you the same amount ( or more ) of goods or services that they did in 1965.

Four silver quarters in 1965 bought 4 gallons of gas. Four silver quarters in 2015 will buy you six gallons of gas….hmmm… paper money isn’t a good thing is it ?

tbone
tbone

I wonder if this includes sales tax?
In New Hampshire for one there is no sales tax which gives you an 8 percent +/- advantage

Member Account
Member Account

This article prompted me to ask a genuine question for anyone willing to offer their advice:

I’m a single white male, 33, no children, with a BA (political science) and MBA (marketing). I’m an only child and helped sell the family business a few years ago to give my parents financial security in retirement. I paid off my home afterward and have served as the interim director of two Christian non-profits in the greater Washington DC metro area where I live. My last stint complete, and given the living expenses of the region, my house is for sale and I’m looking for a new chapter.

Where would you go and what would you do if you were in my shoes? I have zero desire to use my education to be a government or corporate drone. I’ve done a fair share of traveling the past few years so I’d prefer to find a particular area and eventually have a family and decent job than roam the globe, although I won’t force anything and am still open to adventure.

Again, any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance, TBP community.

Member Account
Member Account

Also, that being said, I’m willing to help anyone with their venture, whatever that might be. I ascribe to many of the beliefs as those on this site and would be glad to help like-minded folks who understand the times in which we live.

Bea Lever
Bea Lever

The relative value of $100.00 in relation to the value of $100.00 when the fed started in 1913 is $3 in todays terms no matter what state you are in.

Bea Lever
Bea Lever

John Angelo

Were I as unencumbered as you seem to be, no doubt that I would get the hell out of DC like ta-ta-taday junior. I call you junior in jest as I am sure that you know by now I am full of it.

The Ozarks, by many strategic studies account will be a place of safety from the coming storm. They don’t refer to it as (OZ-ARK) for nothing. Try not to look too much like a Yankee and never tell the locals you moved there from DC.

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Member Account

Thanks, Bea Lever. I’ll add the Ozarks to the list of places to research and visit, along with Northern Idaho. Never been to either.

DRUD
DRUD

@John Angelo – Were I in your shoes I would sell the house NOW as I think we are at the very top of the Housing Bubble Part Deux. Personally, were I single I would buy a good truck (preferably diesel) and a camper trailer. Use the rest of the proceeds to buy some land (you can get ~40 acres for 50-60 grand in So Colorado, probably the same in Ozarks or No Idaho). This way you can travel or stay put as circumstances demand. With a trailer you could also live very cheap and probably not work for a while while you get set up….go as much off the grid as possible (solar on camper and whatever temporary shelter you may wish to put up on the land), you would need to get a well drilled and have a solar/battery system to run the pump. Once you are set up enough to be relatively comfortable in your trailer and relatively secure on your land…then you can do just about anything to keep enough money coming in … internet marketing, temp jobs, buying and selling on Craigslist, etc. While you are at it, LEARN SKILLS…gardening, farming, ranching/animal husbandry, carpentry, welding, etc. Whatever floats your boat.

Now, I realize this most likely a COMPLETE departure from what you know and it may seem ludicrous to live in a trailer in the middle of nowhere (not to mention it may not seem the best place to meet women) and people WILL think you are crazy, but this is about the future…at 33 you are young, get strong and self-reliant and it will pay great dividends in the not-too-distant future. Plus there RIGHT woman will understand this is the real way of the future and will want to do it with you.

Didius Julianus
Didius Julianus

Hi John, Good advice already. For a place with a relatively high degree of resilience (both the people and the natural resources although the place is not without its faults as anywhere). I recommend New Zealand! Lived here since late 2010 and love it. Larger rural population, good hunting culture, good quality of food, 85%+ of electricity is produced from wind or hydro, etc etc. Being in the southern hemisphere and relatively remote, should fair relatively better than most places if SHTF. My wife is visiting family in the U.S. (a drawback if living over here) but can’t wait to get back. She told my own mother she would never go back if not to visit family. Just had dinner with two other Americans last night (I’m out of town on work, I live in the Wellington area), and they don’t have any desire to go back to visit and they have only been here a little over a year. Food for thought…

Pirate Jo
Pirate Jo

John, move to Iowa. Great job market, low cost of living, and no urban ghettos. Do you bike? We have miles and miles of connected bike trails, plus Ragbrai goes across the state every year. The small towns are awesome.

Stucky

John

Pirate Jo forget to mention there are no children in Iowa.

Pirate Jo
Pirate Jo

True, Stucky, it’s all true. There are no children in Iowa … except next door to me, the little shits.

Spartacus Rex
Spartacus Rex

@ Joe “Angelo”

Seriously? What’s with the “Political Science” Degree?

Can you even name a single metro area on the planet better suited for such, than D.C.?

Since you also have the “MBA” in “Marketing”, perhaps you might want to shop in the Manhattan NYC area?

BTW, exactly what were the NAMES of those “two Christian non-profits”, which you failed to mention, that you served as interim director thereof?

MY apologies for being blunt, however I am getting a whiff of a deliberate TBP troll.

Interesting as well, is that you deliberately decided to make a point of being a “white” guy, as IF such might actually have a bearing on any advice returned.

E.S. (Eternally Skeptic) to B.S.

Cheers,
S. Rex

d
d

@John Angelo

A lot of where you go is what you want. If you believe in the coming “zombie apocalypse” then Arkansas of Central Idaho are good places. Idaho itself is a very nice state, but the winters can be pretty damn cold. Spokane, WA is a decent place, as are the Tri-Cities. If you need a little more “urban” look into Portland or Seattle, or maybe a few hours out of either where you can get the exposure on occasion but still “live rural”. Hood River, on the Columbia, is a very cute town with lots of “hip” stuff, but jobs will certainly not be that plentiful.

There is an area on the Idaho/Oregon border (forget the name) where they grow a lot of onions. It has a nice river impoundment, good soil, and a farm sense of community. Or you could consider Walla Walla if you can figure out how to make bucks off the “college crowd” there.

Donw in Oregon, Bend is very cute, but no jobs and high prices. Get out of there a bit and maybe you get a bit of cattle land. St. Joseph in NE Oregon is beautiful and remote, and the little town itself is very quaint. They call it the Oregon Alps there. Cold winters.

Unless you like rain I would stay off the OR/WA coasts. It rains a lot over there. I’d stay out fo CA completely, as the taxes and rules are insane. The Reno/Tahoe are is not all that bad, but i you want off the beaten path there water will definitely be a problem.

Your biggest “bang for the buck” is to live in Vancouver, WA. Or maybe Cathlamet. You have strong proximity to Portland for shopping (and NO Sales Taxes) while WA offers no income taxes. Thus judicious shopping can save you a bundle.

I have travelled most of the Western US, and lived in a few states. Not so good on my eastern places. Out west, if you want beauty, bigger city proximity, I’d definitely look into maybe 20-40 miles out of Spokane in WA state to avoid income taxes, or same idea in the Vancouver area. Your biggest difference will be rain and cool v. snow and cold. If you want a hipster urban area go to Portland, high tech urban go to Seattle. If you want remote then go to north central Idaho, or eastern Oregon.

I also wouldn’t rule out southern Colorado for remote, with reasonable proximity to places like Colo Springs. Wyoming is pretty rustic and remote.

If you are into the “zombie Apocalypse” scenario, author Mark Skousen is a big fan of Northern Idaho. You can find some of his videos on YouTube. Understand there is little to no way to make a living up there. Been there, I know. It’s all summer tourists or winter snowmobilers.

If you are willing to leave the US, there are lots of decent options out in the world as well, depending on what you like personally for weather, people, etc.

Member Account
Member Account

@DRUD You give some practical advice and if it hits the fan like I think it will over the next year, your words will serve me well. I love the movie Red Dawn (1984) and always admired how they survived in the New Mexico mountains, but I’d have a LOT of catching up to do skills wise. You’re right: it’s a complete departure from what I know. I just lowered the price of my house again to spur potential buyers.

@Didius Julianus I’ve never been, but New Zealand sounds amazing and I’m in the process of researching it after your recommendation. I think it’d be the best English-speaking country to reside in a collapse. I hope the economy would be self sustaining and not dependent on the outside world because imports and exports would likely curtail significantly.

@Pirate Jo I’ve never been to Iowa, but would love to know more. Iowa City looks very similar to the town I live in Virginia, especially with the pedestrian mall. Any particular cities to recommend? I’d like at least 50,000 people in the combined city and county.

@Spartacus Rex One non-profit was Young Life (regionally, not nationally obviously) and the other served orphans in India.

@d Thanks for the run down on Oregon and Washington. I’m leaning toward that region, along with Idaho and Wyoming. There are a lot of benefits and I appreciate the detailed breakdown by communities. I’m excited to look more into your recommendations.

d
d

Here’s your “tour” plan if you go OR/WA.

Fly out to OR. Rent a car, and stay somewhere in the city. Get a Portland tourist guide, and do the tourist thing. Then drive out along the Columbia River to Hood River. Stop at Multnomah Falls (4th highest in the US), and my favorite, Bridal Veil (short walk in from the road). Ask ahead as it is a dry year so some of the falls (I think there are about a dozen on that drive) may be worthless to see.

Get to Hood River. Spend a night. Go south to the Mt. Hood Ski area. Go see the lodge. The outside was seen in the movie “The Shining”, the inside was not, but thats worth seeing as it was all hand built during the CCC days — a real treasure. No need to stay there. Go back up to Hood River. Decide if you want to travel to the Tri-Cities via OR or WA (no real difference). Go to Kennewick and drive around to get a feel for the area. The big wine area is north of there, and if you have time do some wine tasting — good stuff. Then head out towards Walla Walla. If you go thru Pendleton you can hit the Pendleton blanket store, but that stuff aint cheap. Then check out Walla Walla (home of WA State Univ).

From Walla Walla go up thru Lewiston and Moscow, Idaho. Drive to Cour d’ Alene. Its very pretty, though rather commercial. If you like the look of it, you’ll LOVE Priest Lake, Id. From there head up thru Sandpoint, then to Priest Lake (west side). Go by Hills Resort for lunch.

After you get that look at ID, criss over into WA, and head to Spokane to get an idea of what that looks like. The further north you cross over the more rustic the area and the drive. From Spokane head back on I-90 thru Moses Lake to the Seattle area. Like Portland, lots to see and do in Seattle so get a local guide book and pick. In Seattle you can choose to head north to look around (Skagit County is a big farming area) and go see the San Juan Islands (pretty but remove and ferry only), or you can drive N to Anacortes, and head south over deception pass. Eventually you get down to Bainbridge or a couple of other ferry locations to return to Seattle. Its a pretty drive, and Whidbey Island is quite rural and pretty.

When you leave Seattle, take I-5 south to Vancouver. Check that out as a place to live. Ignore Longview, its a crappy area.

When you get back to Portland, consider a day or two out at Cannon Beach, one of my favorite small towns in the Northwest. On the coast, cute and touristy.

You can prolly do all this in two weeks or so. To really get the lowdown on areas, I would call real estate relocation people in all the towns that interest you and have them send you packages, then spend 3-4 hours with each one getting a ‘lay of the land’.

If you like the Seattle area and want more rural, look into South Kitsap county. I think it is a real gem.

Spartacus Rex
Spartacus Rex

@ Johnny Angel

Thank you for the response.

I too support Young Life locally as well, however I still do not see the merits or even necessity of feeling compelled to make an issue/ express being “white” herein @ TBP.

Furthermore, unless you are already “independently wealthy”, thus no longer required to actually work for a living, there is little benefit to moving to even a paradise on earth, if you cannot obtain adequately compensating work for your skill set there at.

Regardless of what present cost structures may suggest for beginning and maintaining/supporting a family today, if you cannot presently afford to send your progeny through a top notch private K-12 education, or otherwise afford keeping their mother at home to home-school same, versus making them public wards at public schools, my advice is to keep busting your a** until you can.

“The most erroneous assumption is to the effect that the aim of public education is to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence, and so make them fit to discharge the duties of citizenship in an enlightened and independent manner. Nothing could be further from the truth. The aim of public education is not to spread enlightenment at all; it is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States, whatever the pretensions of politicians, pedagogues and other such mountebanks, and that is its aim everywhere else.”
H.L. Mencken

And WISDOM is not necessarily strictly limited to us tow headed “whites” either!

“A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

F* the counterfeiting Banksters and stack the Hard, ‘Honest Weights & Measures’ Lawful Money Gold and Silver Coin each week while you still can.

“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance and people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” James Madison

“Paper is poverty,…it is only the ghost of money, and not money itself” President Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Edward Carrington 1788

“History shows that once an enormous debt has been incurred by a nation, there are only two ways to solve it: one is simply to declare bankruptcy – repudiate the debt. The other is to inflate the currency and thus to destroy the wealth of the ordinary citizen.”
Adam Smith

Leviticus 19:36; Deuteronomy 25:15-16
Proverbs 20:10;23

Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your
getting, Get understanding. Proverbs 4:7

It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a
prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty
to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude
is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his
guilt. John Philpot Curran (1750-1817)

If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.
This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.
Frederick Douglass, “If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress”

Cheers,
S. Rex

Gary
Gary

Hello,
I operate two remote oyster farm sites in the pristine area of Sea Otter Sound, Prince of Wales area, Southeast Alaska. I can only realistically manage one of them so the other is for sale. State permitted suspended site and clam beaches w/ upland cabins.
How can I advertise this offering on this website?

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