Now there's data to back up what our bank accounts have been telling us all along: This place ain't cheap.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) has released its third-quarter cost of living index, which outlines the most and least expensive cities in the country. And wouldn't you know it, we're on it. Orange County ranks as the tenth most expensive “city” in America. (Further proof that we're just “The O.C.” to the rest of the country.) According to their calculations, living in OC is 43.5 percent more expensive than the national average.
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WSJ notes that wages tend to be higher in areas that cost more, so it all sorta kinda averages out in the end. Also, ranking cities can be a tricky task, so this isn't an end-all, be-all list.
Still, if you're looking for a better bargain, you want to research Harlingen (Texas), Memphis or Ardmore (Oklahoma), the nation's least-expensive cities according to the index. Avoid Manhattan, Brooklyn and Honolulu, named the priciest.
