State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cost of Living in Utah
Statewide Regional Price Parities for Utah from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 5 metro areas.
- 98.9
- Statewide RPP
- #21
- of 51 states by cost
- 107.8
- Rents RPP
- 5
- Metro areas
Utah ranks #21 of 51 states by cost, and its statewide price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- rose +3.1 points in the 2023-2024 release
- similar cost to Minnesota
The verdict
Utah costs less than 41% of U.S. states, a statewide index of 98.9, 1.1% below the national average.
- Services
- furthest category from 100, at 78.7
- Minnesota
- closest statewide cost peer, 0.2 points away
- Salt Lake City-Murray
- highest-cost metro, 100.9
- Logan
- lowest-cost metro, 95.9
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $101,149 when earned in Utah.
Utah vs every U.S. state
Where this state sits in the national cost distribution
99 Top 41% higher than 59% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. 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
Utah RPP history, 2008–2024
The statewide index has changed by only 1.9 points from 2008 to 2024. The line shows every retained BEA release against the national benchmark of 100; the table preserves the component detail.
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 97.0 |
| 2009 | 100.0 |
| 2010 | 97.3 |
| 2011 | 99.8 |
| 2012 | 99.4 |
| 2013 | 98.6 |
| 2014 | 97.9 |
| 2015 | 97.6 |
| 2016 | 97.1 |
| 2017 | 98.7 |
| 2018 | 96.0 |
| 2019 | 97.2 |
| 2020 | 95.3 |
| 2021 | 94.5 |
| 2022 | 94.6 |
| 2023 | 95.7 |
| 2024 | 98.9 |
Reading the Utah Cost of Living Picture
Utah clusters near the national line with Minnesota, Vermont, Delaware as its closest statewide peers. In that near-par lane, the component mix matters more than the small headline distance from 100. Its category range is 29.1 points: large enough to separate housing-sensitive and service-heavy budgets, but not a single-component outlier.
Utah captures 5 metro areas in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. Salt Lake City-Murray, UT leads on cost at 100.9, while Logan, UT-ID sits at the opposite end at 95.9 - a gap of 4.9 index points inside a single state. For goods the state indexes at 96.4, for services 78.7, and for rents 107.8. Rents sit within 8.9 points of the statewide index, so no single category is distorting the headline — unusual, and it makes the state number more transferable between households than most.
Over time, Utah's statewide index has held steady within 1.9 points, suggesting a stable competitive position against other states. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $101,149 of national buying power when earned inside Utah, and a household relocating here would need roughly $98,864 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. With 5 reporting metros inside the state, treat this figure as the midpoint of a range rather than a quote for any one address.
Metro areas in Utah, ranked by cost
| # | Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salt Lake City-Murray | 100.9 | 96.4 | 79.0 | 123.3 |
| 2 | Ogden | 100.3 | 96.4 | 78.8 | 117.9 |
| 3 | Provo-Orem-Lehi | 98.2 | 96.4 | 78.6 | 104.1 |
| 4 | St. George | 97.3 | 96.4 | 77.7 | 98.1 |
| 5 | Logan | 95.9 | 96.4 | 77.9 | 91.0 |
The Rents RPP index measures housing costs relative to the national average (100). For the federal 40th-percentile Fair Market Rent by bedroom size and county, see the HUD Fair Market Rents dataset.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Utah's overall RPP rose +3.1 points, from 95.7 in 2023 to 98.9 in 2024. The largest category move was services, changing from 73.0 to 78.7. RPP is a relative price index, so this reports a change against the national benchmark rather than a household's dollar bill.
What this means in Utah
The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within Utah.
- Don't rely on the state figure alone: Salt Lake City-Murray (100.9) and Logan (95.9) sit 5 index points apart inside Utah. Check your specific metro.
- Rents index at 107.8 (7.8% above average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
- Weighing Utah against another state? Convert your salary to local purchasing power first. Salary calculator
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark (national average = 100) for the data year shown, pair it with local wages and current rents before deciding.
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Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive rankings, cost of living vs wages, and how BEA constructs RPP data.
States with Similar Cost of Living
These states have RPP indices closest to Utah, making them useful peers for relocation or budget comparison.
Nationwide states with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Utah: nearest states by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are labelled nationwide neighborhoods, distinct from the closest-RPP list above.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest states by overall regional price parity (98.9 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest states by rents regional price parity (107.8 here).
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Utah sit versus the national cost-of-living line?
Utah has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 98.9, meaning it is 1.1% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.4, services at 78.7, and rents at 107.8.
What salary in Utah equals $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $98,864 in Utah. Conversely, $100K earned in Utah has the purchasing power of $101,149 at the national average.
Is housing expensive in Utah?
Rents in Utah are indexed at 107.8, which is 7.8% above the national average. Housing costs are close to the national average.
Which is the most expensive metro in Utah?
The most expensive metro area in Utah is Salt Lake City-Murray, UT with an RPP of 100.9. The most affordable is Logan, UT-ID at 95.9. There are 5 metro areas in Utah with BEA price data.
Is Utah getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Utah's overall cost index changed by +1.9 points (from 97.0 to 98.9). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What is most expensive in Utah compared to the U.S. average?
The most expensive category in Utah is rents at 107.8, which is 7.8% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 78.7, 21.3% below average.
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 2024. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.