10 Most Expensive and Least Expensive Cities In America (PHOTOS)

In 2010, New York City was declared the most expensive city to live in the country. The top spot is relatively unsurprising news when you recall New York is home to more millionaires than any other city.

But the WSJ reports on a new study conducted by the Council for Community and Economic Research that reveals Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens all placing in the top five most expensive cities nationwide, Manhattan and Brooklyn respectively claiming the top and second.

Others among the most expensive were Honolulu, San Francisco, and Stamford. The least expensive mainly hailed from Texas and Oklahoma and included Memphis, Waco, and Fayetteville.

Plenty of millionaires might take up residence here in the city, but that doesn't mean the rest of New York is so bountiful. In fact, New York state has the most severe income inequality in the country.

The Fiscal Policy Institute said that if New York were a nation it would rank "5th worst among 134 countries with respect to income concentration, between Chile and Honduras. Wall Street, with its stratospheric profits and bonuses, sits within 15 miles of the Bronx" which is one of the country's poorest counties.

Click through to see the country's ten most expensive cities.

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Comments

[nycbunny]

05:15 PM on 11/14/2011

Manhattan's not a city onto itself but I do love it here! Center of the world!

[Jenn Hill]

01:58 AM on 11/09/2011

Truckee is full. No newcomers welcome.. Thanks

[Bob Gage]

02:33 PM on 11/02/2011

Boroughs are not cities: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens
Counties are not cities: Orange Co, Truckee-Nevada County

So, you've only got FIVE cities on your list of the "10 Most Expensive Cities" and despite the title of the article, there's not a single mention of the "Least Expensive" cities at all.

Really, HuffPost? I know you guys aren't actual journalists or anything, but this is even weaker than usual....

[Ainsi sera groigne qui]

01:25 AM on 11/06/2011

Actually Brooklyn and IIRC Queens were "cities" in their own right until all were incorporated to make up "New York City" which is now comprised of the five boroughs.

Brooklyn in particular was a power in it's own right and not all residnets were happy at the time with the change. That borough was much more self sustaining with industry, farms, ports etc... than Manhattan.

[Vanessa1129]

12:00 PM on 11/02/2011

Forget about the 10 most expen Cities to live....

ALL of them are TOO expen to live in if u don't have a job, etc.

[Vanessa1129]

11:55 AM on 11/02/2011

Yadda Yadda!

Who the heck cares?!
Who cares about the 10 most Expen Cities to live in...when while living there ur barely making it?!
Why not do a survey on all the BROKE (unemployed/homeless) ppl trying to make it in the 10 most Expen Cities to live?!

[Ffffaaa]

08:09 PM on 11/03/2011

i make it in san francisco . maybe we should be asking who cares what u think? they do studies on homeless people all the time ? seems like you dont really have any point just kinda scattered yelling

[Vanessa1129]

09:13 AM on 11/04/2011

Thank you for ur comment!

[kooosh]

09:05 AM on 11/02/2011

Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan are not cities, are they?

[kooosh]

09:09 AM on 11/02/2011

I should read every other remark before I comment.

[RheaD]

08:59 AM on 11/02/2011

Ummmm....the slidewshow listed mostly counties, but you are referring to them as cities. Orange County, Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan are not cities... they are all Counties (figured Orange would have given that away)

[alienator]

08:40 AM on 11/02/2011

very informative... sarcasm intended.

[Vanessa1129]

11:56 AM on 11/02/2011

LOL! Thank you!!!

[Buzz Mega]

08:22 AM on 11/02/2011

So very many things on the Huffington iPad edition are not compatible with the iPad. Like this story. No link to the (photos).

Other lead stories--no video due to Flash-based sources and no links to QuickTime versions.

Sigh.

[rhurc4]

07:44 AM on 11/02/2011

Don't worry, it's only expensive if you're a republican, trying to work hard and better your situation. If you're a bottom-feeding democrat, living off the efforts of others, these places are like a utopian, tinky-winky candy land

[brookier1]

01:52 PM on 11/02/2011

Oh, please! How nasty can you be. Oh, you're a Republican, that's right. No compassion at all, and totally mean.

[mjtrigger]

10:30 AM on 11/04/2011

This seems like an ill-informed statement. Do you have any information that Republicans get less government aid than Democrats? Is it just a feeling you have? Also, since NYC has such a huge majority of Democrats, wouldn't the lack of 'expensiveness' for the majority of people in this city drive down the average?

[dcdesignr]

07:32 AM on 11/02/2011

Not to nit-pick, but Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn are not individual cities - the three should have been counted together, simply as NYC.

[PaticaDeGato]

09:11 AM on 11/02/2011

Indeed. If we are at it, maybe we should talk about the Upper East Side vs. Harlem.

[ArtsyJane]

07:16 AM on 11/02/2011

Oh, wow, so Queens is more expensive than DC, huh.

Also, visibly more expensive than a bunch of other places that weren't even in the list, such as Beverly Hills, Malibu, Santa Monica, etc. I guess people who live in Queens should move to Beverly Hills and save some money that way...

[Tolms]

11:31 AM on 11/03/2011

HA! As a former resident of Queens, I can tell you it's expensive. Also the best borough IMO. :)

[SweetWilliam]

05:19 AM on 11/02/2011

How did Anchorage, Alaska not get on this list?

[FancyAmerican]

02:37 PM on 11/02/2011

Good question; perhaps because the entire borough that Anchorage is a part of isn't as expensive? It seems to be counting counties/boroughs as a whole rather than the respective cities.

Do you live in Anchorage? I sooo want to visit (not sarcasm).

[Moderate Independent]

05:10 AM on 11/02/2011

All blue states and cities. Hmmmm. Hawaii is beautiful, I can see paying to live there. The other places are way over-priced.

[FancyAmerican]

02:38 PM on 11/02/2011

Orange County isn't "blue," though.

Queens and Brooklyn have affordable areas but they aren't the prettiest of places.

[enemyofgod72]

04:20 AM on 11/02/2011

I'm a NYer. I live outside Buffalo,Ny and frankly I was surprised we didn't make the list. Erie County (home to Buffalo) is the 2nd highest taxed county in the highest taxed state in the union. I'm a life-long NYer and I'll say this: I HATE THIS STATE! Albany cares about NYC and pretty much nothing else b/c that is where all of our politicians get their money. This is also the most corrupt state in the country where more money is funneled into pols pockets than anywhere else.

And before you berate me by saying, "If you hate it so much why don't you leave?", let me just tell you that plan is already in the works and I'll be gone by spring. Good riddance!!

[Andrea Doria]

10:20 AM on 11/02/2011

Freedom isn't free.

[grsnider]

10:35 AM on 11/02/2011

At least is the Buffalo area, housing prices are super cheap. And I think NYC is a "donor" to the rest of the state.

[enemyofgod72]

09:08 AM on 11/05/2011

This is the argument I've heard forever. Yes NYC brings most of the states revenue but has all that money done much other than line politicians pockets in Albany? Driving around this state I don't see where that money has done much to improve the rest of the state. Buffalo is only one of many dying cities and towns. Housing outside of NYC is comparatively cheap but what does the cost matter if factories and other businesses have closed or left leaving no jobs for people to afford such cheap housing? Housing is cheap b/c there is more supply than demand and there is more supply b/c people and businesses have left the state.