Did you know that, New York City had an average home price of $1.1 million and an apartment there set renters back at $3, 400 per month? It is not surprising that the cost of groceries, gasoline and various sundries at a little more than average in highest in New York City. Housing market for both buyers and renters in the Big Apple is indeed expensive.

Apparently, housing costs also pushed San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., to top spots on the list. In the said four cities, the average home price during that time was well over $600,000. While further down the list, the average price fell to $226,998 in Austin and $201,020 in Nashville.

However, housing prices are only part of the story. Cost of living expenses are also magnified; which is divided in six categories: grocery items, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services. The recent ACCRA Cost of Living Index, a measure of urban living costs the council for community and Economic Research (C2ER) identifies the costs of 57 consumer items and services in different metro areas, from groceries to medical and housing costs to dungarees, for 320 Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Metropolitan Divisions. C2ER weights them according to how households typically distribute their spending.

California led with six cities on the list, four that make our top 10. Texas follows closely behind with four cities: in addition to Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas appeared.

While East and West Coast cities grabbed most of the top spots, the rest of the country is well represented. Chicago (No. 14), Las Vegas (No. 18), Phoenix (No. 25) and St. Louis, Mo., (No. 35) all make this year’s list.