7 of the 10 Most Expensive Cities to Live in the U.S. Are in One State A new report by U.S. News found that San Diego is the most expensive city to live in for 2023-2024, followed by Los Angeles. New York City didn't even rank in the top 10.

By Madeline Garfinkle

Rampant inflation over the past year has driven up the cost of living — and a tight housing market that has caused rent prices to surge doesn't exactly help. However, some American cities are more expensive than others, and if you're looking to save, it's best to reconsider whether these 10 cities are in your budget or not.

According to a new report from U.S. News, seven of the top 10 most expensive cities to live in for 2023-2024 are in California. San Diego came in at No. 1, receiving a value rating (how comfortably residents can live within their means in a metropolitan area) of 3.3. The average median home price in San Diego was $889,225 in 2021 — nearly triple the national average of $365,616.

Related: The Cheapest States To Live in 2023

Los Angeles was ranked the second-most-expensive city to live in with the same value rating of 3.3, followed by Honolulu (3.6), Miami (3.6) and Santa Barbara (3.8). Despite New York City historically being one of the most expensive places to reside, the Big Apple didn't even make it in the top 10 (it was ranked No. 11 with a value rating of 4.3).

U.S. News determined its rankings by using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, FBI, U.S. Department of Labor and internal research. Here's the full list of the top 10 most expensive cities to live in for 2023-2024.

1. San Diego, CA

Value: 3.3

Average median home price 2021: $889,225

Average salary: $67,200

2. Los Angeles, CA

Value: 3.3

Average median home price 2021: $807,498

Average salary: $63,056

3. Honolulu, HI

Value: 3.6

Average median home price 2021: $581,658

Average salary: $61,860

4. Miami, FL

Value: 3.6

Average median home price 2021: $490,162

Average salary: $54,790

5. Santa Barbara, CA

Value: 2.8

Average median home price 2021: $464,954

Average salary: $62,020

6. San Francisco, CA

Value: 3.8

Average median home price 2021: $1,082,875

Average salary: $86,590

7. Salinas, CA

Value: 3.8

Average median home price 2021: $986,702

Average salary: $56,350

8. Santa Rosa, CA

Value: 3.9

Average median home price 2021: $828,156

Average salary: $64,080

9. San Juan, PR

Value: 3.9

Average median home price 2021: N/A

Average salary: $31,650

10. Vallejo & Fairfield, CA

Value: 4.1

Average median home price 2021: $562,567

Average salary: $64,270

Related: These Are the Most and Least Affordable Places to Retire in The U.S.

Madeline Garfinkle

Entrepreneur Staff

News Writer

Madeline Garfinkle is a News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate from Syracuse University, and received an MFA from Columbia University. 

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