Overall
94.1
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ
Cost-of-living indicators for Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 94.1
- Overall RPP
- #180
- of 387 metros
- 79.8
- Rents RPP
- $106K
- $100K national buys
Lake Havasu City ranks #180 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Hagerstown-Martinsburg
The verdict
Lake Havasu City costs less than 47% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 94.1, 5.9% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 79.8.
- bottom 53%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 88.7
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $106,272 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $94,098.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.3 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 3.9 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Lake Havasu City overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 93.8 |
| 2009 | 97.3 |
| 2010 | 94.6 |
| 2011 | 94.7 |
| 2012 | 95.5 |
| 2013 | 95.0 |
| 2014 | 92.3 |
| 2015 | 92.2 |
| 2016 | 93.0 |
| 2017 | 93.8 |
| 2018 | 89.8 |
| 2019 | 88.4 |
| 2020 | 87.7 |
| 2021 | 89.3 |
| 2022 | 92.8 |
| 2023 | 90.5 |
| 2024 | 94.1 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Lake Havasu City's overall RPP rose +3.6 points, from 90.5 in 2023 to 94.1 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 82.6 to 88.7. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$94,098
in Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$47,049
$75,000 nationally
$70,574
$125,000 nationally
$117,623
$150,000 nationally
$141,147
$200,000 nationally
$188,196
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
48/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
48th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Lake Havasu City's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Lake Havasu City: rents index at 79.8, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 94.1.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Columbia, SC, Warner Robins, GA, Roanoke, VA. They resemble Lake Havasu City across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Lake Havasu City's overall index has stayed within 0.3 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Lake Havasu City vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
94 Top 47% higher than 53% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Lake Havasu City cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
79.8 RPP
- Services
Services
88.7 RPP
- Overall
Overall
94.1 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.2 RPP
What this shows Lake Havasu City's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 79.8 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 88.7. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Lake Havasu City's cost comes from
Metros near Lake Havasu City's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Lake Havasu City (Lake Havasu City, this metro): goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 79.8
- Hagerstown: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 75.7
- Sheboygan: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 80.5
- Hinesville: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 79.5
- Cleveland: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 79.4
- Tallahassee: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 78.5
- Odessa: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 89.7
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.2
Below avg
Services
88.7
Cheap
Rents
79.8
Cheap
AZ-relative analysis
Goods prices places Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ toward the bottom of AZ's metros
Among the 7 AZ metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ ranks #1 - the 14th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 7
14th percentile in AZ
Services prices
#6 of 7
14th percentile in AZ
Rent prices
#5 of 7
29th percentile in AZ
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within AZ only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (94.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (79.8 here).
Other AZ Metros
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 103.3 Flagstaff, AZ 100.3 Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ 98.3 Tucson, AZ 96.9 Yuma, AZ 92.7 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 89.2
View all AZ metros → Cheapest in AZ → Most expensive in AZ →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ's index of 94.1.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Lake Havasu City's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Columbia, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.3 · Rents 79.5 Warner Robins, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.1 · Rents 79.2 Roanoke, VA
Goods 96.8 · Services 88.9 · Rents 78.5 Tallahassee, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.5 · Rents 78.5 Mankato, MN
Goods 95.4 · Services 87.0 · Rents 79.9 Hinesville, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 86.8 · Rents 79.5
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Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
What this means for Lake Havasu City
How to read Lake Havasu City's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $106,272 in Lake Havasu City. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 79.8, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Lake Havasu City head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ?
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 94.1, meaning it is 5.9% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.2, services at 88.7, and rents at 79.8. It ranks #180 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $94,098 in Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ. Conversely, $100K earned in Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ has the purchasing power of $106,272 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ?
Rents in Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ are indexed at 79.8, which is 20.2% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ's overall cost index changed by +0.3 points (from 93.8 to 94.1). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ?
The priciest category in Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ is goods at 96.2, 3.8% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 79.8, 20.2% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Hagerstown-Martinsburg, Sheboygan, Hinesville. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ's 94.1.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.