Markets

Insider Trading

Hedge Funds

Retirement

Opinion

30 Most Expensive Cities to Live in the U.S.

In this piece, we will take a look at 30 most expensive cities to live in the U.S. For more expensive American cities, head on over to 10 Most Expensive Cities to Live in the U.S.

The cost of living has been the most popular topic in the media for more than a year now. Just as the American economy was recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, inflation reared its head as the expansionary fiscal policy adopted by the Federal Reserve during the pandemic lead to tons of cash flowing through the market. Inflation in America started to rise in February 2021 when it jumped to 1.7% from January’s 1.4%. It continued to rise until June 2021, when it sat at 5.4% and ended up closing the year at 7%. However, during this time period, the Federal Reserve did not increase interest rates as it believed that the inflation would be ‘transitory.’

The central bank was proven wrong, as the close of January and February saw inflation rise further to 7.5% and 7.9%, respectively. When it became clear that inflation was not starting to come down, the Fed started an aggressive series of interest rate hikes in March 2022, which saw it raise the rates from 0.25% to a whopping 5% as of March 2023. These included five massive 75 basis points (0.75%) interest rate hikes, which shattered the stock market and caused funds to flow away from stocks to accounts and other fixed investments. Globally, as other major currencies failed to keep up with the American interest rate hikes, they fell as well since the global financial system allows for an easy flow of capital across borders.

However, it’s looking as if the Fed’s interest rate fight against inflation is starting to bear fruit. Inflation in America fell to 5% in March 2023, reversing all the gains that it made in 2022 and reverting back to levels seen in May 2021. At the same time, there is a growing consensus among both analysts and economists that a recession is also on the horizon in America. A recession, defined as two consecutive quarters of economic growth, occurs when economic output drops. This, in turn, happens when businesses find it difficult to do remain afloat, and consumers are enticed to save due to high interest rates.

Talking about recession, The Conference Board believes that the second quarter will be the moment of truth for the U.S. economy. Its probability of a recession is sitting at a whopping 98% for the next twelve months, with the first signs appearing in the current quarter — Q2. Building on this, two of the biggest bond investors in America are conflicted about whether a recession will really take place in 2023. For instance, managers of the Reams Asset Management’s Carillon Reams Core Plus Bond Fund believe that instead of a recession, the economy will mildly slow down later this year, in what is commonly called a soft landing. However, still, on the flip side, those responsible for the Columbia Total Return Bond Fund believe that the Federal Reserve has outreached in its quest to bring down inflation, and its action will cause U.S. bond yields to fall.

The latest data for inflation was one of the more commonly watched metrics, with the March 2023 figures showing that prices had continued their downward trend. This led to cautious optimism among some in the market who had hoped that the Fed might stop increasing the rates once and for all. However, the president of the St. Louis Federal Reserve James Bullard dashed these hopes in an interview given to Reuters in April 2023. Mr. Bullard outlined that Wall Street is reading the entire recession debate wrong since the labor market is strong which is a big stimulant for consumption. And when consumption is high, a slowdown in the economy becomes more difficult to predict.

According to the Fed official:

Wall Street’s very engaged in the idea there’s going to be a recession in six months or something, but that isn’t really the way you would read an expansion like this. . . . the labor market just seems very, very strong. And the conventional wisdom is that if you have a strong labor market that feeds into strong consumption … and that’s a big chunk of the economy … it doesn’t seem like the moment to be predicting that you have a recession in the second half of 2023.

Reuters also reported:

Recession forecasts “are coming from models that put too much weight on the idea that interest rates went up quickly,” Bullard said. “What about the strong labor market? What about that feeding consumption? … What about the pandemic money still to be spent off, both at the state and local level and at the individual household level?

“Inflation is coming down, but not as fast as Wall Street expects.”

With these details in mind, let’s take a look at some of the most expensive cities to live in the U.S.

Our Methodology

To compile our list of the most expensive cities to live in America, we used cost of living indexes from Numbeo and Expatistan. Then, the 30 cities that are common in both lists were picked, and the cost of living score was averaged to compute the list of the most expensive cities in the U.S.

Biggest Cities to Live in the U.S.

30. Tucson, Arizona

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 99.6

Tucson is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Arizona. It has a population of roughly half a million people and a vibrant economy.

29. New Orleans, Louisiana

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 103.9

New Orleans is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is a major port city with one of the busiest ports in the world.

28. Detroit, Michigan

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 104.05

Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and a major economic hub in the American Midwest. It houses more than four million people.

27. Baltimore, Maryland

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 107.6

Baltimore is Maryland’s most populous city and houses close to 600,000 people. It houses the headquarters for major shipping lines in America and is a popular tourist destination.

26. Orlando, Florida

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 111.25

Orlando is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Florida. The city is also known for the presence of some of the most technologically advanced firms in the world.

25. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 111.45

Pittsburgh is the second most populous city in Pennsylvania. It houses a large number of Fortune 500 companies.

24. Anchorage, Alaska

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 112.4

Anchorage is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is also one of the largest cities in Alaska in terms of area and relies on natural resources for its economy.

23. Phoenix, Arizona

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 114.15

Phoenix is the capital of the U.S. state of Arizona and houses a whopping 1.6 million people. The city also has several Fortune 500 companies.

22. Minneapolis, Minnesota

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 114.65

Minneapolis is the most populous city in Minnesota. Fortune 500 firms, such as Target, are headquartered in the city.

21. Atlanta, Georgia

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 116.5

Atlanta is the capital state of Georgia and houses close to half a million people, making it the most populous in the region.

20. Chicago, Illinois

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 117.35

Chicago is one of the most populous cities in the U.S., with a population of 1.3 million people. It has a $765 billion economy, the third largest in America.

19. Austin, Texas

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 117.9

Austin is the capital city of Texas which houses almost a million people – making it one of the largest in America.

18. Raleigh, North Carolina

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 118.95

Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina and is the second most populous city in the state.

17. Sacramento, California

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 119.05

Sacramento is the capital of California, one of the most prosperous states in America. It houses more than half a million people.

16. Tampa, Florida

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 120.3

Tampa is one of Florida’s most populous cities. It has a strong presence of the insurance, financial, and healthcare industries.

15. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 122.1

Philadelphia is a former U.S. capital and the most populous city in Pennsylvania. It headquarters several large firms such as Cigna and Comcast.

14. Dallas, Texas

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 124.7

Dallas is among the top ten most populous cities in America and houses more than a million people. It has the sixth largest economy in the U.S.

13. San Jose, California

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 126.1

San Jose is an economic hub in California, and houses firms such as eBay, Cisco, and Adobe.

12. San Diego, California

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 127.35

San Diego houses more than a million people and has a vibrant defense industry.

11. Portland, Oregon

Insider Monkey’s Cost of Living Score: 128.85

Portland is a port city and the largest in Oregon with more than half a million people in its boundaries.

Click to continue reading and see 10 Most Expensive Cities to Live in the U.S.

Suggested Articles:

Disclosure: None. 30 Most Expensive Cities to Live in the U.S. is originally published on Insider Monkey.

AI, Tariffs, Nuclear Power: One Undervalued Stock Connects ALL the Dots (Before It Explodes!)

Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal!

AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous.

Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink.

Wall Street is pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence—training smarter chatbots, automating industries, and building the digital future. But there’s one urgent question few are asking:

Where will all of that energy come from?

AI is the most electricity-hungry technology ever invented. Each data center powering large language models like ChatGPT consumes as much energy as a small city. And it’s about to get worse.

Even Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, issued a stark warning:

“The future of AI depends on an energy breakthrough.”

Elon Musk was even more blunt:

“AI will run out of electricity by next year.”

As the world chases faster, smarter machines, a hidden crisis is emerging behind the scenes. Power grids are strained. Electricity prices are rising. Utilities are scrambling to expand capacity.

And that’s where the real opportunity lies…

One little-known company—almost entirely overlooked by most AI investors—could be the ultimate backdoor play. It’s not a chipmaker. It’s not a cloud platform. But it might be the most important AI stock in the US owns critical energy infrastructure assets positioned to feed the coming AI energy spike.

As demand from AI data centers explodes, this company is gearing up to profit from the most valuable commodity in the digital age: electricity.

The “Toll Booth” Operator of the AI Energy Boom

  • It owns critical nuclear energy infrastructure assets, positioning it at the heart of America’s next-generation power strategy.
  • It’s one of the only global companies capable of executing large-scale, complex EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) projects across oil, gas, renewable fuels, and industrial infrastructure.
  • It plays a pivotal role in U.S. LNG exportation—a sector about to explode under President Trump’s renewed “America First” energy doctrine.

Trump has made it clear: Europe and U.S. allies must buy American LNG.

And our company sits in the toll booth—collecting fees on every drop exported.

But that’s not all…

As Trump’s proposed tariffs push American manufacturers to bring their operations back home, this company will be first in line to rebuild, retrofit, and reengineer those facilities.

AI. Energy. Tariffs. Onshoring. This One Company Ties It All Together.

While the world is distracted by flashy AI tickers, a few smart investors are quietly scooping up shares of the one company powering it all from behind the scenes.

AI needs energy. Energy needs infrastructure.

And infrastructure needs a builder with experience, scale, and execution.

This company has its finger in every pie—and Wall Street is just starting to notice.

Wall Street is noticing this company also because it is quietly riding all of these tailwinds—without the sky-high valuation.

While most energy and utility firms are buried under mountains of debt and coughing up hefty interest payments just to appease bondholders…

This company is completely debt-free.

In fact, it’s sitting on a war chest of cash—equal to nearly one-third of its entire market cap.

It also owns a huge equity stake in another red-hot AI play, giving investors indirect exposure to multiple AI growth engines without paying a premium.

And here’s what the smart money has started whispering…

The Hedge Fund Secret That’s Starting to Leak Out

This stock is so off-the-radar, so absurdly undervalued, that some of the most secretive hedge fund managers in the world have begun pitching it at closed-door investment summits.

They’re sharing it quietly, away from the cameras, to rooms full of ultra-wealthy clients.

Why? Because excluding cash and investments, this company is trading at less than 7 times earnings.

And that’s for a business tied to:

  • The AI infrastructure supercycle
  • The onshoring boom driven by Trump-era tariffs
  • A surge in U.S. LNG exports
  • And a unique footprint in nuclear energy—the future of clean, reliable power

You simply won’t find another AI and energy stock this cheap… with this much upside.

This isn’t a hype stock. It’s not riding on hope.

It’s delivering real cash flows, owns critical infrastructure, and holds stakes in other major growth stories.

This is your chance to get in before the rockets take off!

Disruption is the New Name of the Game: Let’s face it, complacency breeds stagnation.

AI is the ultimate disruptor, and it’s shaking the foundations of traditional industries.

The companies that embrace AI will thrive, while the dinosaurs clinging to outdated methods will be left in the dust.

As an investor, you want to be on the side of the winners, and AI is the winning ticket.

The Talent Pool is Overflowing: The world’s brightest minds are flocking to AI.

From computer scientists to mathematicians, the next generation of innovators is pouring its energy into this field.

This influx of talent guarantees a constant stream of groundbreaking ideas and rapid advancements.

By investing in AI, you’re essentially backing the future.

The future is powered by artificial intelligence, and the time to invest is NOW.

Don’t be a spectator in this technological revolution.

Dive into the AI gold rush and watch your portfolio soar alongside the brightest minds of our generation.

This isn’t just about making money – it’s about being part of the future.

So, buckle up and get ready for the ride of your investment life!

Act Now and Unlock a Potential 100+% Return within 12 to 24 months.

We’re now offering month-to-month subscriptions with no commitments.

For a ridiculously low price of just $9.99 per month, you can unlock our in-depth investment research and exclusive insights – that’s less than a single fast food meal!

Space is Limited! Only 1000 spots are available for this exclusive offer. Don’t let this chance slip away – subscribe to our Premium Readership Newsletter today and unlock the potential for a life-changing investment.

Here’s what to do next:

1. Head over to our website and subscribe to our Premium Readership Newsletter for just $9.99.

2. Enjoy a month of ad-free browsing, exclusive access to our in-depth report on the Trump tariff and nuclear energy company as well as the revolutionary AI-robotics company, and the upcoming issues of our Premium Readership Newsletter.

3. Sit back, relax, and know that you’re backed by our ironclad 30-day money-back guarantee.

Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity! Subscribe now and take control of your AI investment future!


No worries about auto-renewals! Our 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee applies whether you’re joining us for the first time or renewing your subscription a month later!

A New Dawn is Coming to U.S. Stocks

I work for one of the largest independent financial publishers in the world – representing over 1 million people in 148 countries.

We’re independently funding today’s broadcast to address something on the mind of every investor in America right now…

Should I put my money in Artificial Intelligence?

Here to answer that for us… and give away his No. 1 free AI recommendation… is 50-year Wall Street titan, Marc Chaikin.

Marc’s been a trader, stockbroker, and analyst. He was the head of the options department at a major brokerage firm and is a sought-after expert for CNBC, Fox Business, Barron’s, and Yahoo! Finance…

But what Marc’s most known for is his award-winning stock-rating system. Which determines whether a stock could shoot sky-high in the next three to six months… or come crashing down.

That’s why Marc’s work appears in every Bloomberg and Reuters terminal on the planet…

And is still used by hundreds of banks, hedge funds, and brokerages to track the billions of dollars flowing in and out of stocks each day.

He’s used this system to survive nine bear markets… create three new indices for the Nasdaq… and even predict the brutal bear market of 2022, 90 days in advance.

Click to continue reading…