Most expensive States and those with the most significant increases

[IDIOCRACY]

Ha. I see your active lifestyle and raise you.

I go to the Santa Cruz shore a couple times each summer. Visit the boardwalk and pier or just splash in the water (which is warm enough to do so here.)
I drive up to San Francisco about once a month. Walk around Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, Japantown, etc. I also go to Oakland and explore there.
I visit the tall trees in the local state parks every couple years or so. It's kinda rainforest-y - you see banana slugs and other critters. I also hike up the local hill to see the Big Giant Cube at least once a year.
I don't golf or ski, but my daughter and I ride our bikes on the river trails (a lot easier now since they moved the homeless camps out. fewer people living in a van down by the river.)

Everyplace is as nice as every other place. They just have different stuff.

I spend a lot of time in Monterey. It's so nice because of the climate, and the wealthy can afford to send crime and poverty elsewhere within the State while they pretend to care.

 

[jackflash]

We live south of HWY 20..... that road goes from Burlington, across the Northern Cascades into Winthrop. Beautiful drive, closed now due to SNOW.
Diablo Lake and Dam, wow, such beautiful Green/Blue Water.

View attachment 1221492

OhPleaseJustQuit thinks this area is a ShitHole.

We live south of HWY 20..... that road goes from Burlington, across the Northern Cascades into Winthrop. Beautiful drive, closed now due to SNOW.
Diablo Lake and Dam, wow, such beautiful Green/Blue Water.

View attachment 1221492

OhPleaseJustQuit thinks this area is a ShitHole.

I am familiar with Diablo lake & the lake west of it. I have never seen fresh water that color of bluish green before. When the water is smooth due to calm atmospheric conditions the surface of those 2 lakes remind me of a synthetic "lid" like a lid used to cover a bowl with, a surreal look to it. I think OPJQ was referring to the political situation west of the mountains. She landed in a beautiful area that quite frankly made me a tad bit envious/jealous. OPJQ & me think a LOT alike as we both have a definite country/farm lifestyle background.

I see a lot of crop fields around your area of Burlington, some treed acreage also. Do U ever C any CBT deer in your vicinity?

https://i0.wp.com/johncarroutdoors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/dsc5900_edited-1.jpg?ssl=1

 

[Winco]

I am familiar with Diablo lake & the lake west of it. I have never seen fresh water that color of bluish green before. When the water is smooth due to calm atmospheric conditions the surface of those 2 lakes remind me of a synthetic "lid" like a lid used to cover a bowl with, a surreal look to it. I think OPJQ was referring to the political situation west of the mountains. She landed in a beautiful area that quite frankly made me a tad bit envious/jealous. OPJQ & me think a LOT alike as we both have a definite country/farm lifestyle background.

I see a lot of crop fields around your area of Burlington, some treed acreage also. Do U ever C any CBT deer in your vicinity?

https://i0.wp.com/johncarroutdoors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/dsc5900_edited-1.jpg?ssl=1

CBT? No idea what you mean......... Maybe Black Tail?
Columbian black-tailed deer
(Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) inhabit the Pacific coast of North America, ranging from central California (Santa Barbara County) through Oregon and Washington to southern British Columbia. They prefer dense forests, brushy areas, and forest edges, particularly in the coastal rain forests.

We live on an Island.
Deer, in late Spring and summer, wonder through our backyard, and sometimes lay in the grass taking in the sun.

 

[jackflash]

CBT? No idea what you mean. Black Tail?

We live on an Island.
Deer, in late Spring and summer, wonder through our backyard, and sometimes lay in the grass taking in the sun.

Columbian Black-Tailed deer. They are quite small 80# to about 120/130ish# for a BIG doe. back in the mid 60's down south in Redland Oregon the hunters referred to them as glove compartment deer!

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

It is beautiful.

OhPleaseJustQuit might be talking about the people.

But not all country is for everyone.

.

The area itself is very beautiful. I don't know any of the people there.

I do know that the "governance" of the state, and all of the state to the left of the Cascades, is a shithole.

I know Winco says that where he/she/it lives. This is the internet.

.

 

[Mr Natural]

Like everything else in life, you get what you pay for.

 

[IDIOCRACY]

I live near Lake Tahoe (pic), meaning I'm maybe three hours to Yosemite, a couple hours to the Sierra's tallest mountains (pic), five hours to the ocean, a short hop to California's best country, which begins in Nevada, and it's secluded too, who knew Cal. could still offer peace. The Sierras are beautiful, second only the Alps, though I don't claim to be an expert.

Real lakes everywhere. By one opinion, God did a real nice job of it.

 

[HikerGuy83]

.

The area itself is very beautiful. I don't know any of the people there.

I do know that the "governance" of the state, and all of the state to the left of the Cascades, is a shithole.

I know Winco says that where he/she/it lives. This is the internet.

.

Understandable.

Seattle is, for sure, a hot bed of manure.

 

[ThisIsMe]

People, like me, want to live in States that offer much more than the flat boring plains of Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and West Texas.

In WA, I can easily......

Go to the Ocean
Ride a Ferry in the Puget Sound to Multiple Fabulous Islands
Visit a Rainforest
Ski, Hike, enjoy the Mountains
Experience Mild Winters and Beautiful 80° Summer Days
Visit Eastern WA and the Plains with Corn and Wheat and plenty of Apple Orchards. It's absolutely Beautiful.

Yeah you can do all that when it isn’t raining. It rains about 50% of the time in Washington.


On a side note, I just learned that Washington state doesn’t have a personal or CORPORATE income tax…I thought that odd for being a liberal state.

 

[ThisIsMe]

You got this in Hill Country?
Don't get me wrong, I love TX too, but TX ain't got this.

View attachment 1221493View attachment 1221494View attachment 1221495

Nah, Texas has this:

Mmmmmm mmmmm….smells like money!

But for when you need to relax, Texas also has this:

 

[Lockback]

Recent data indicates that while coastal states like Hawaii and California remain the most expensive overall, several mountain and mid-Atlantic states have seen the fastest-climbing costs since the 2021 pandemic era.

States with Highest Recent Cost Increases
According to recent inflation and cost-of-living tracking (2021–2025):

• Hawaii: Still leads with the highest annual jump in the income required to live "comfortably," rising 9.48% from 2024 to 2025. Liberal Democrats
• 
  
• Colorado & Utah: Both states experienced some of the highest cumulative inflation since 2021, at approximately 21.8%. Liberal Democrats primarily, feel free to look up Utah's Counties with the highest increases. I don't even have to look, liberal Democrats tend to park in the best climates with the most pampering.
• 
  
• Florida: Hit hard by a surge in homeowners' insurance and housing demand, with cumulative inflation reaching 22.4% since 2021. Republican. Trump's "global warming" is why insurance has increased so high.
• 
  
• Idaho: Led the nation in housing price increases, with home values jumping 37% in a single year during the recent peak. Like Utah, a dollar says the most expensive are liberal counties.
• 
  
• Vermont: Experienced the fastest real estate price growth in the nation between 2023 and 2024, climbing 12.8%. Liberal Democrats
• 
  
• Maryland & Virginia: These states, particularly near Washington D.C., saw inflation rates as high as 4.1% in late 2025. Liberal Democrats

Top States by Cost of Living Index (2025-2026)
While "increase" refers to the rate of change, these states remain at the top of the absolute cost scale:

1. Hawaii (Index: 185.0) Liberal Democrats
2. 
   
3. California (Index: 142.3) Liberal Democrats
4. 
   
5. Massachusetts (Index: 141.2) Liberal Democrats
6. 
   
7. New York (Index: 125.1) Liberal Democrats
8. 
   
9. Alaska (Index: 124.9) Liberal Democrats. Just kidding, but an awfully small sample size, and Alaska is a BA anomaly anyway.

Other:

• Housing Costs: Nevada ranks second only to Florida in the share of cost-burdened households, with 57.6% of renters spending more than 30% of their income on housing in 2024. This is primarily the result of common US CITIZENS evacuating California, while the State is being sold off to foreigners, and for entertaining stupid crap every day all day.

But remember, the increase in cost of living is Trump's fault and stuff like that, even while inflation has been reduced.

Nevada has an affordable housing crisis. A new report shows ways to fix it. - The Nevada Independent

Nevada has an affordable housing crisis. A new report shows ways to fix it. Read more from The Nevada Independent.

thenevadaindependent.com

It's almost like there's a pattern ... Hmmmmmmm ....

 

[Winco]

Yeah you can do all that when it isn’t raining. It rains about 50% of the time in Washington.

Seattle only gets 37 inches of rain over 165 days while 40 miles south in Olympia, there is more than 50 inches of rain received in the same span!

For comparison:

• Houston gets 54" in 99 days
• Atlanta gets 50" in 116
• New York City gets nearly 50" in 120
• Chicago is real close with 38" on 125

 

[jackflash]

.

The area itself is very beautiful. I don't know any of the people there.

I do know that the "governance" of the state, and all of the state to the left of the Cascades, is a shithole.

I know Winco says that where he/she/it lives. This is the internet.

.

U really used your head/common sense when U relocated, like U scored a homerun with the bases loaded on that one!!! Americana, don't live life without it!

 

[jackflash]

Yeah you can do all that when it isn’t raining. It rains about 50% of the time in Washington.


On a side note, I just learned that Washington state doesn’t have a personal or CORPORATE income tax…I thought that odd for being a liberal state.

Believe me the rain is just as constant throughout the Columbian Basin in Oregon clear down to about Eugene Oregon, then it starts to turn into desert. For the hay farmers the rain = bumper crops! The down side was the "wait time"(2+ days MINIMUM) for the hay to dry out before we could use the hay rakes to get the hay raked/flipped into windows & wait another 2-3 days for the hay to further dry out when it was dry enough to safely bale. Bumper crops don't mean much if the high yield green alfalfa has yellowed & is loaded with mold, like better to just disc the soured hay back into the clay/sod. Lotta lo$t hay in that area, ESPECIALLY BACK IN THE MID 60'S as the rain seldom stays away for a full week for drying time.

Washington state currently ranks in tenth place for accumulated debt which means ever more taxes coming to fuel the statist lefties bizarre special interest kinky addiction(s).

Report: Washington’s total state and local debt is $143 billion

(The Center Square) – Washington's total state and local debt is $143 billion at the end of 2023, the most recent year for which complete data is available, the 10th

www.thecentersquare.com

Report ranks every state's debt, from California's $497 billion to South Dakota's $2 billion

Study finds state governments have a total of $2.7 trillion in debt, with 26 states exceeding $20 billion in debt each and 10 states over $70 billion.

reason.org

 

[ThisIsMe]

Seattle only gets 37 inches of rain over 165 days while 40 miles south in Olympia, there is more than 50 inches of rain received in the same span!

For comparison:

• Houston gets 54" in 99 days
• Atlanta gets 50" in 116
• New York City gets nearly 50" in 120
• Chicago is real close with 38" on 125

Yeah but it rains about 50% of the time in Washington state.

 

[Winco]

Yeah but it rains about 50% of the time in Washington state.

Sure, when it rains and is 40° it truly sucks.

But it drizzles at 3am to 4am and they call that a 'day of rain'
Summer......... July, August and September are glorious.

 

[Captain Caveman]

Recent data indicates that while coastal states like Hawaii and California remain the most expensive overall, several mountain and mid-Atlantic states have seen the fastest-climbing costs since the 2021 pandemic era.

States with Highest Recent Cost Increases
According to recent inflation and cost-of-living tracking (2021–2025):

• Hawaii: Still leads with the highest annual jump in the income required to live "comfortably," rising 9.48% from 2024 to 2025. Liberal Democrats
• 
  
• Colorado & Utah: Both states experienced some of the highest cumulative inflation since 2021, at approximately 21.8%. Liberal Democrats primarily, feel free to look up Utah's Counties with the highest increases. I don't even have to look, liberal Democrats tend to park in the best climates with the most pampering.
• 
  
• Florida: Hit hard by a surge in homeowners' insurance and housing demand, with cumulative inflation reaching 22.4% since 2021. Republican. Trump's "global warming" is why insurance has increased so high.
• 
  
• Idaho: Led the nation in housing price increases, with home values jumping 37% in a single year during the recent peak. Like Utah, a dollar says the most expensive are liberal counties.
• 
  
• Vermont: Experienced the fastest real estate price growth in the nation between 2023 and 2024, climbing 12.8%. Liberal Democrats
• 
  
• Maryland & Virginia: These states, particularly near Washington D.C., saw inflation rates as high as 4.1% in late 2025. Liberal Democrats

Top States by Cost of Living Index (2025-2026)
While "increase" refers to the rate of change, these states remain at the top of the absolute cost scale:

1. Hawaii (Index: 185.0) Liberal Democrats
2. 
   
3. California (Index: 142.3) Liberal Democrats
4. 
   
5. Massachusetts (Index: 141.2) Liberal Democrats
6. 
   
7. New York (Index: 125.1) Liberal Democrats
8. 
   
9. Alaska (Index: 124.9) Liberal Democrats. Just kidding, but an awfully small sample size, and Alaska is a BA anomaly anyway.

Other:

• Housing Costs: Nevada ranks second only to Florida in the share of cost-burdened households, with 57.6% of renters spending more than 30% of their income on housing in 2024. This is primarily the result of common US CITIZENS evacuating California, while the State is being sold off to foreigners, and for entertaining stupid crap every day all day.

But remember, the increase in cost of living is Trump's fault and stuff like that, even while inflation has been reduced.

Nevada has an affordable housing crisis. A new report shows ways to fix it. - The Nevada Independent

Nevada has an affordable housing crisis. A new report shows ways to fix it. Read more from The Nevada Independent.

thenevadaindependent.com

If I emigrated to the US, or stopped for any period of time to work, it would be Vermont/New Hampshire area.

I have the chance to work in Vermont in construction for a few years (contact through a work client), but I'm not leaving my Jack Russell, he's 13 this year, had him since he was 8 weeks old.

So maybe in a year or two, I could be posting from Vermont. It means I'll have to invest into a bullet/knife proof vest and pronounce most English words incorrectly.