How Much Does the American Dream Cost in Your State?
- - How Much Does the American Dream Cost in Your State?
T. WoodsJuly 26, 2025 at 10:05 PM
LeoPatrizi / Getty Images
Do you think you can afford the American dream in 2025? Especially with the ever-rising cost of living?
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To determine the true cost of the American dream, GOBankingRates began by defining it as a married couple with two children, a home, a car and a pet. From there, each state was analyzed with criteria that included annual grocery costs, pet care costs (based on the average annual cost of a dog and cat), an annual mortgage with a 20% down payment, annual healthcare costs, utilities costs, education costs and cost of child care. All annual costs were added up and doubled to define the cost of the American dream.
Ranked from most to least expensive, see the true cost of the American dream in all 50 states. Also see the cost in the 50 largest cities.
Art Wager / Getty Images50. Hawaii -
True cost of the American dream: $238,680
Total annual cost: $119,340
Grocery cost per year: $11,816
Annual mortgage: $29,022
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DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto49. Massachusetts -
True cost of the American dream: $217,722
Total annual cost: $108,861
Grocery cost per year: $9,460
Annual mortgage: $19,266
Also See: What Salary Single People Need To Live Comfortably in 100 Major US Cities
DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto48. California -
True cost of the American dream: $209,767
Total annual cost: $104,883
Grocery cost per year: $10,121
Annual mortgage: $23,794
Rocky Grimes / Getty Images/iStockphoto47. Alaska -
True cost of the American dream: $195,120
Total annual cost: $97,560
Grocery cost per year: $11,517
Annual mortgage: $11,389
benedek / Getty Images46. Washington -
True cost of the American dream: $188,264
Total annual cost: $94,132
Grocery cost per year: $9,568
Annual mortgage: $18,118
DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto45. New Jersey -
True cost of the American dream: $182,445
Total annual cost: $91,222
Grocery cost per year: $9,442
Annual mortgage: $16,744
SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto44. Connecticut -
True cost of the American dream: $180,799
Total annual cost: $90,399
Grocery cost per year: $9,297
Annual mortgage: $12,894
Learn More: How Much You Need To Earn To Be Upper Middle Class in Every State
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto43. Colorado -
True cost of the American dream: $180,766
Total annual cost: $90,383
Grocery cost per year: $9,124
Annual mortgage: $16,587
SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto42. Vermont -
True cost of the American dream: $175,818
Total annual cost: $87,909
Grocery cost per year: $9,623
Annual mortgage: $11,650
Long_Strange_Trip_01 / Getty Images/iStockphoto41. Oregon -
True cost of the American dream: $174,662
Total annual cost: $87,331
Grocery cost per year: $9,623
Annual mortgage: $14,963
lavin photography / Getty Images/iStockphoto40. Minnesota -
True cost of the American dream: $173,697
Total annual cost: $86,849
Grocery cost per year: $9,251
Annual mortgage: $10,057
DenisTangneyJr / iStock.com39. New Hampshire -
True cost of the American dream: $170,862
Total annual cost: $85,431
Grocery cost per year: $9,052
Annual mortgage: $14,876
FilippoBacci / Getty Images/iStockphoto38. New York -
True cost of the American dream: $170,669
Total annual cost: $85,335
Grocery cost per year: $9,414
Annual mortgage: $13,660
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto37. Rhode Island -
True cost of the American dream: $169,838
Total annual cost: $84,919
Grocery cost per year: $9,233
Annual mortgage: $14,233
See More: How Far $750,000 in Retirement Savings Plus Social Security Goes in Every State
Kruck20 / Getty Images/iStockphoto36. Maryland -
True cost of the American dream: $168,005
Total annual cost: $84,002
Grocery cost per year: $9,704
Annual mortgage: $12,906
lucky-photographer / Getty Images35. Nevada -
True cost of the American dream: $161,922
Total annual cost: $80,961
Grocery cost per year: $9,351
Annual mortgage: $13,753
Kruck20 / Getty Images/iStockphoto34. Arizona -
True cost of the American dream: $156,394
Total annual cost: $78,197
Grocery cost per year: $9,161
Annual mortgage: $13,012
Ron and Patty Thomas / Getty Images/iStockphoto33. Wisconsin -
True cost of the American dream: $154,655
Total annual cost: $77,327
Grocery cost per year: $8,880
Annual mortgage: $9,222
pabradyphoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto32. Delaware -
True cost of the American dream: $153,910
Total annual cost: $76,955
Grocery cost per year: $9,288
Annual mortgage: $11,415
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Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto31. Maine -
True cost of the American dream: $151,734
Total annual cost: $75,867
Grocery cost per year: $9,197
Annual mortgage: $11,628
f11photo / Getty Images/iStockphoto30. Utah -
True cost of the American dream: $149,873
Total annual cost: $74,936
Grocery cost per year: $8,853
Annual mortgage: $15,845
Lightguard / Getty Images/iStockphoto29. Montana -
True cost of the American dream: $149,164
Total annual cost: $74,582
Grocery cost per year: $9,179
Annual mortgage: $13,502
ferrantraite / Getty Images28. Virginia -
True cost of the American dream: $147,055
Total annual cost: $73,527
Grocery cost per year: $9,025
Annual mortgage: $11,948
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto27. Ohio -
True cost of the American dream: $145,533
Total annual cost: $72,767
Grocery cost per year: $8,961
Annual mortgage: $6,871
Discover More: Here’s the Cost of Living in Every State
Kruck20 / iStock.com26. Florida -
True cost of the American dream: $143,700
Total annual cost: $71,850
Grocery cost per year: $9,532
Annual mortgage: $12,148
Pgiam / Getty Images25. Illinois -
True cost of the American dream: $143,153
Total annual cost: $71,576
Grocery cost per year: $8,889
Annual mortgage: $8,121
DenisTangneyJr / iStock.com24. Pennsylvania -
True cost of the American dream: $138,994
Total annual cost: $69,497
Grocery cost per year: $8,989
Annual mortgage: $7,987
MidwestWilderness / Getty Images/iStockphoto23. Nebraska -
True cost of the American dream: $137,818
Total annual cost: $68,909
Grocery cost per year: $8,989
Annual mortgage: $7,722
christiannafzger / Getty Images/iStockphoto22. Idaho -
True cost of the American dream: $135,607
Total annual cost: $67,804
Grocery cost per year: $9,387
Annual mortgage: $13,566
Explore This: Here’s How Much You Need To Earn To Be ‘Rich’ in Every State
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto21. New Mexico -
True cost of the American dream: $135,259
Total annual cost: $67,629
Grocery cost per year: $8,735
Annual mortgage: $9,077
ferrantraite / iStock.com20. Georgia -
True cost of the American dream: $134,993
Total annual cost: $67,497
Grocery cost per year: $8,816
Annual mortgage: $9,808
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto19. Indiana -
True cost of the American dream: $133,155
Total annual cost: $66,578
Grocery cost per year: $8,816
Annual mortgage: $7,148
Kruck20 / Getty Images/iStockphoto18. South Carolina -
True cost of the American dream: $132,681
Total annual cost: $66,340
Grocery cost per year: $8,998
Annual mortgage: $8,882
YinYang / Getty Images17. North Dakota -
True cost of the American dream: $132,340
Total annual cost: $66,170
Grocery cost per year: $8,608
Annual mortgage: $8,067
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Wirestock / iStock.com16. North Carolina -
True cost of the American dream: $130,518
Total annual cost: $65,259
Grocery cost per year: $8,916
Annual mortgage: $9,847
Art Wager / iStock.com15. Missouri -
True cost of the American dream: $129,476
Total annual cost: $64,738
Grocery cost per year: $8,699
Annual mortgage: $7,401
RoschetzkyIstockPhoto / Getty Images14. Texas -
True cost of the American dream: $129,026
Total annual cost: $64,513
Grocery cost per year: $8,708
Annual mortgage: $8,998
stockphoto52 / Getty Images/iStockphoto13. Wyoming -
True cost of the American dream: $128,406
Total annual cost: $64,203
Grocery cost per year: $9,088
Annual mortgage: $10,477
Davel5957 / Getty Images12. Oklahoma -
True cost of the American dream: $127,100
Total annual cost: $63,550
Grocery cost per year: $8,644
Annual mortgage: $6,159
For You: How Much You Need To Earn To Be Upper Middle Class in Every State
Sean Pavone / iStock.com11. Tennessee -
True cost of the American dream: $127,028
Total annual cost: $63,514
Grocery cost per year: $8,798
Annual mortgage: $9,540
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto10. Michigan -
True cost of the American dream: $122,509
Total annual cost: $61,255
Grocery cost per year: $8,98
Annual mortgage: $7,190
DenisTangneyJr / iStock.com9. South Dakota -
True cost of the American dream: $121,181
Total annual cost: $60,591
Grocery cost per year: $8,834
Annual mortgage: $9,061
pabradyphoto / Getty Images8. Iowa -
True cost of the American dream: $118,611
Total annual cost: $59,306
Grocery cost per year: $8,753
Annual mortgage: $6,563
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto7. West Virginia -
True cost of the American dream: $117,788
Total annual cost: $58,894
Grocery cost per year: $8,970
Annual mortgage: $4,896
Even More: How Far $1.5 Million in Retirement Savings Plus Social Security Goes in Every State
hstiver / Getty Images/iStockphoto6. Kentucky -
True cost of the American dream: $116,613
Total annual cost: $58,306
Grocery cost per year: $9,043
Annual mortgage: $6,262
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto5. Kansas -
True cost of the American dream: $115,895
Total annual cost: $57,947
Grocery cost per year: $8,590
Annual mortgage: $6,762
Larry Gibson / iStock.com4. Louisiana -
True cost of the American dream: $113,783
Total annual cost: $56,892
Grocery cost per year: $8,708
Annual mortgage: $5,943
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto3. Arkansas -
True cost of the American dream: $111,758
Total annual cost: $55,879
Grocery cost per year: $8,626
Annual mortgage: $6,262
Michael Warren / Getty Images2. Alabama -
True cost of the American dream: $111,534
Total annual cost: $55,767
Grocery cost per year: $8,807
Annual mortgage: $6,674
SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto1. Mississippi -
True cost of the American dream: $104,948
Total annual cost: $52,474
Grocery cost per year: $8,726
Annual mortgage: $5,308
Sean Dennison contributed to this article.
Methodology: The American Dream for this study is defined as a married couple who own a home and a car, have two children and a pet. The data included was sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, Zillow Home Value Index, the Federal Reserve, ASPCA’s Annual Pet Costs, the Economic Policy Institute’s Childcare Costs by State. Using the 50/30/20 financial rule that states that needs should not exceed 50% of household income, the total cost of living was doubled to find the income needed to live the American Dream. The states were sorted to show the most income needed first. All data is up to date as of April 17, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Much Does the American Dream Cost in Your State?
Source: “AOL AOL Money”
