Five New England States Rank as Most Expensive to Live in Right Now

While the price of everything feels like it has gone up over the last couple of years, those prices have disproportionately affected people in the northeast. A study released at the beginning of 2023 shows the average cost of living in each state throughout the country, broken down by a number of factors.

Those factors include healthcare costs, grocery bills, utilities, housing expense, transportation costs, and other miscellaneous expenses that people incur everyday. When the totals of the study were put together, the results prove that there is almost no state in New England that isn't expensive to live in.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts is the 2nd most expensive state to live in the entire country. People in Massachusetts pay more for essentially everything. Their grocery bills are high, utilities are more expensive, and even their transportation costs are excessive. But what really drags Massachusetts down is housing.

Massachusetts ranks 2nd for housing costs in the entire country, behind Hawaii. If you're going to spend a mint to live somewhere, your choice are the island paradise of Hawaii, or Massachusetts.

Connecticut

Connecticut ranks the 6th most expensive state to live in the country. Connecticut has fair rankings when it comes to things like healthcare and transportation. But two factors are driving the cost of living sky high in Connecticut.

Utilities are a massive expense in Connecticut. Only people in Hawaii and Alaska spend more annually on utilities than people in Connecticut do. Not only that, housing is expensive in Connecticut. The state ranks amongst the top 10 most expensive places to buy a house in the United States.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is the 7th most expensive state to live in the country. Unlike neighboring Massachusetts, housing costs are reasonable in the Granite State. Not only that, New Hampshire ranks middle of the pack on things like grocery and utility bills. So what makes New Hampshire so expensive?

Healthcare. In a state where the motto is "Live Free or Die", people are doing neither. New Hampshire averages the 2nd most health expenses in the country, behind only Alaska. New Hampshire also ranks high in miscellaneous expenses, driving the cost of living up.

Vermont

Vermont is the 8th most expensive state to live in the country. Vermont ranks well in expenses like groceries and healthcare. Even the state's miscellaneous expenses are far lower than their other New England neighbors. But Vermont shares some of the same pain points as Connecticut that is driving the cost of living up.

Vermont has some of the highest annual housing expenses in the country. Whether it's just the price to purchase a home or the cost of upkeep, it's expensive in Vermont. Additionally, Vermont has some of the highest utility expenses in the country as well.

Maine

Maine is the 9th most expensive state to live in the country. People in Maine might not believe it, but the state ranks well nationally in grocery costs, utilities, and healthcare expenses. But there's a pair of predictable factors that are making Maine's cost of living soar.

Housing is the number one issue for Maine. People in Maine are facing high costs for housing and housing upkeep as compared with the rest of the country. Transportation expenses in Maine are also excessive, as the state is amongst the 10 most expensive when it comes to gas prices, tolls, and taxes spent on roads and highways.