WY Cost-of-Living calculator - options? (Riverton, Cody: appointed, hotel, home)

[volosong]

Several times, Wyoming has been cited in this forum as having a high cost-of-living. I was wondering why and went into Sperling's Best Places cost-of-living city comparison web site. For reference, I put in my current hometown and then several WY and ID towns, (some I'm investigating as a retirement destination, other just for reference/comparison).

Sperling's URL: Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

Some interesting numbers fell out, and in trying to understand how they calculate their answers, tried to find out their methodology. They considered seven categories:

Overall (everything added together)
Food (15% of total)
Housing (30% of total)
Utilities (6% of total)
Transportation (10% of total)
Health (7% of total)
Miscellaneous (32% of total)

My current home has a score slightly above the national average. Compared to Palmdale, this is the score of the cities in the comparison, (for those who don't know, Palmdale is located in the desert across the mountains on the northern edge of the Los Angeles basin. It is within commuter distance of some portions of the LA megalopolis. It is an inexpensive place to live, by LA standards - mostly because of the cost of housing.):

Thermopolis (10% less expensive, all categories less than Palmdale)
Worland (11% less, ditto)
Riverton (7% less, ditto)
Powell (9% less, ditto)
Coeur d'Alene (overall 5% less, housing more, all else less)
Idaho Falls (13% less, all categories less)
Payette (14% less, all categories less - home of some of my paternal ancestors)

- - - - -

State and local taxes are not included in any category. In my opinion, this is a huge oversight. WY, and to a lesser extent, ID, have been touted as being very tax friendly for retirees. To get a more accurate picture, taxes should be included in some category of the overall calculation. The weighting of the various parameters may also be suspect for individuals who have different individual needs and wants than an average person.


What I would like to ask . . . does anyone know of an on-live cost-of-living calculator where the weighting factor may be modified by a user, and one that includes the tax structure? One that has a data base under it, where one does not have to enter their own myriad of numbers.

From what I see right now, WY really isn't all that expensive, compared to Palmdale, (except for cost of housing in "resort gateway towns", such as Dubois, Cody, etc. (and of course, Jackson)). Then again, as a retiree, my income will be drastically reduced, so I need to make sure all my ducks are in a row before doing anything.

Thanks for your time and any insight you can offer.

[sunsprit]

I've seen these various studies for years and always questioned the methodology because it seems way out of whack to me ... at least to the extent that my personal financial situation simply doesn't match their parameters.

I've never seen a study that allowed you to plug in your own parameters.

That's why I've been advising folk on this forum who are interested in Wyoming to come out here and visit after having made a reasonable effort to prioritize their needs/wants. IMO, Wyoming presents a very different set of living circumstances compared to many areas of the USA, and it's why I've seen so many folk move out here, only to be disappointed with the reality vs the hollywood dream and they left as soon as was possible for them to do so. For some others, they wonder why they didn't make the move here sooner ....

With paid-for residences in other portions of the country, I get a chance firsthand to see the balance of amenities, entertainment, restaurants, medical (and other) services, access to transportation, food costs, misc costs, etc. . In my travels as a manufacturer's rep throughout the region, I get to see local costs and availability of the things that interest me. From my perspective, Wyoming is not an inexpensive place to live ... it's a lifestyle choice and you need to place a personal value upon many intagibles that aren't measured by the "studies" and recognized for their value ... or lack thereof.

[volosong]

Thanks sunsprit. I've spent a bunch of time in WY, but only for geological research, (other than vacations and drive-throughs on the way to someplace else). Being out in the field all day and then back to the hotel at night doesn't give a realistic picture of what a residential lifestyle entails.