KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Kalamazoo-Portage Metro area is ranked as the second least expensive urban area to live in the United States.
The first quarter 2023 Cost of Living Index puts Kalamazoo just behind Harlingen, Texas on its latest list.
According to Southwest Michigan First, the index measures regional differences in the cost of consumer goods and services, excluding taxes and non-consumer expenditures, for professional and managerial households in the top income bracket. The composite index is based on housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services.
The data is collected by chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and university applied economic centers in each participating urban area.
Among the 265 urban areas that participated in the 2022 Cost of Living Index, the after-tax cost for a professional or managerial standard of living in the Kalamazoo area is more than 20 percent below the national average.
The Ten Least Expensive Urban Areas for 2023 Q1
(National Average for 265 Urban Areas = 100)
1 – Harlingen, TX – 77.1
2 – Kalamazoo, MI – 77.5
3 – Muskogee, OK – 78.3
4 – McAllen, TX – 79.4
5 – Decatur, IL – 80.1
6 – Tupelo, MS – 81.4
7 – Joplin, MO – 82.0
8 – Topeka, KS – 82.5
9 – Salina, KS – 82.7
10 – Richmond, IN – 82.9
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