DC ranks 4th on list of US cities with highest cost of living

WASHINGTON - The nation's capital ranks fourth highest on a new list that compares the cost of living in cities across the country.

The ApartmentList.com study - that looks at the overall cost of living for the 100 largest cities in their dataset - says Washington, D.C. has a cost of living that is 53 percent higher than the national average.

The group says cost of living is determined by looking at factors like food, transportation, entertainment, and healthcare.

In D.C., housing costs rank 144 percent above the national average. Utilities ranks 18 percent higher, transportation is 10 percent higher, miscellaneous good and services are 19 percent higher, and groceries are five percent higher. Health care costs rank five percent lower than the national average.

(FOX 5 DC)

San Francisco comes in at the top of the list with a cost of living that is 83 percent higher. New York ranks second, Anaheim third, and Los Angeles rounds out the top five.

In addition to the other factors, budget categories like student loans and outstanding credit also determine localized cost of living rankings.