Hover over counties to see data points or use the map’s tabs to toggle between cost of living and median income. Despite a decrease in the number of uninsured Americans, medical costs still account for a significant portion of the bankruptcies in this country. Hospital, midwife, delivery and IVF costs, Having a baby in Dubai? Compare the Cost of Living in Illinois against another US State. Understanding the cost of living in a given place helps you make an informed decision about the salary you'll need to maintain the same standard of living. However, in some areas, finding a place at a local state school can be tricky, so some parents choose a private education instead. SmartAsset’s interactive map highlights the places in the country with the most favorable cost of living. The rest take a car. MarketWatch reports that the Economic Policy Institute ranked 618 metro areas on the costs of housing, child care, food, transportation, health care and other necessities, and D.C. came out on top, with an average cost of living of $106,493 – and that’s before you’ve even tried to save anything. Depending on where you live and how much you make, paying less than 30% of your income to keep a roof over your head may or may not be possible. The cost of living obviously varies massively depending on your lifestyle, so let’s just take a look at some averages, so you can see that as a skilled migrant, life in Aus will be very comfortable. The District also leads the nation with an average child care cost of $31,158 a year. One reflected the baseline cost of living in each location and the other was based on expenditures typical to someone making the county’s median income. WASHINGTON – You probably already knew it was expensive to live in this area, but now it’s official: The D.C. metro area is the most expensive place in the country for a two-parent, two-child family to live in. To do this we first calculate average living expenses based on your current location and desired location. • Number of personal exemptions is equal to the number of individuals in the household. The biggest expenses we all face can vary significantly from one place to another. But if you're on a tight budget you're probably cooking most - if not all - of your meals at home. But if you’re living abroad as an expat, visitor, or non-resident... Dubai is one of the most exciting and fastest-growing cities in the world, leading the globe in all kinds of innovation. As SmartAsset’s home buying expert, award-winning writer Michele Lerner brings more than two decades of experience in real estate. The cost of university study is set by the individual institution, with caps in place on the amount that can be charged for students from the UK and EU (currently £9,250 a year). Here’s a quick guide. You could go without some of them for a little while, but they're still necessities. A family with 2 kids, 2 cars and a pet or 2 will serve as a decent example, living in a 4 bed, 2/3 bath house not too far from a city centre. Even basics like a pound of pasta or a bag of apples can vary in cost from place to place. If you pay more than that you're considered "burdened" by your housing costs.