State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cost of Living in Vermont
Statewide Regional Price Parities for Vermont from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 1 metro areas.
- 98.0
- Statewide RPP
- #23
- of 51 states by cost
- 86.5
- Rents RPP
- 1
- Metro areas
Vermont ranks #23 of 51 states by cost, and its statewide price index has fallen 2.7 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- rose +0.8 points in the 2023-2024 release
- similar cost to Pennsylvania
The verdict
Vermont costs less than 45% of U.S. states, a statewide index of 98.0, 2.0% below the national average.
- Services
- furthest category from 100, at 125.8
- Pennsylvania
- closest statewide cost peer, 0.4 points away
- Burlington-South Burlington
- highest-cost metro, 100.9
- bottom 55%
- national statewide placement
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $102,085 when earned in Vermont.
Metro areas in Vermont, ranked by cost
| Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington-South Burlington | 100.9 | 97.3 | 125.5 | 103.8 |
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
Vermont's overall RPP rose +0.8 points, from 97.1 in 2023 to 98.0 in 2024. The largest category move was rents, changing from 82.3 to 86.5. RPP is a relative price index, so this reports a change against the national benchmark rather than a household's dollar bill.
Vermont RPP history, 2008–2024
The statewide index has fallen 2.7 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 | 100.7 |
| 2009 | 101.4 |
| 2010 | 99.4 |
| 2011 | 99.1 |
| 2012 | 100.0 |
| 2013 | 100.4 |
| 2014 | 97.9 |
| 2015 | 100.0 |
| 2016 | 98.2 |
| 2017 | 100.3 |
| 2018 | 100.2 |
| 2019 | 99.6 |
| 2020 | 102.1 |
| 2021 | 98.7 |
| 2022 | 101.0 |
| 2023 | 97.1 |
| 2024 | 98.0 |
Reading the Vermont Cost of Living Picture
Vermont clusters near the national line with Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Texas as its closest statewide peers. In that near-par lane, the component mix matters more than the small headline distance from 100. Services and Rents are 39.3 points apart, so the statewide average joins two materially different household experiences.
Vermont captures 1 metro area in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. With a single metro reporting in the BEA series, the statewide figure reflects that urban anchor directly. For goods the state indexes at 97.3, for services 125.8, and for rents 86.5. Rents sit within 11.5 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, Vermont's statewide index has eased by 2.7 points, narrowing the premium versus lower-cost states. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $102,085 of national buying power when earned inside Vermont, and a household relocating here would need roughly $97,958 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. With a single reporting metro, this figure carries no internal range to check it against, which is a reason to weight local wage and rent data more heavily than usual.
Vermont vs every U.S. state
Where this state sits in the national cost distribution
98 Top 45% higher than 55% 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
What this means in Vermont
The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within Vermont.
- Rents index at 86.5 (13.5% below average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
- Weighing Vermont 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 Vermont, 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 Vermont: 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 (98.0 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest states by rents regional price parity (86.5 here).
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Vermont sit versus the national cost-of-living line?
Vermont has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 98.0, meaning it is 2.0% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 97.3, services at 125.8, and rents at 86.5.
What salary in Vermont equals $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $97,958 in Vermont. Conversely, $100K earned in Vermont has the purchasing power of $102,085 at the national average.
Is housing expensive in Vermont?
Rents in Vermont are indexed at 86.5, which is 13.5% below the national average. The state is relatively affordable for renters.
Has Vermont gotten more affordable over time?
From 2008 to 2024, Vermont's overall cost index changed by -2.7 points (from 100.7 to 98.0). The cost of living has been declining.
Which categories pull Vermont away from the national average?
The most expensive category in Vermont is services at 125.8, which is 25.8% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 86.5, 13.5% 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.