The Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) and the Carroll Area Development Corporation (CADC) have reported the second quarter Cost of Living Index (COLI). With the average set at 100, Carroll’s 92.2 ranking means the cost to live in Carroll County is much lower than the national average. COLI is considered to be the most reliable source of city-to-city comparisons in consumer costs like housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, health care and miscellaneous goods and services. New to the COLI is the Small Cities Program, which allows communities smaller than 50,000 in population the ability to participate. Among the 260 urban areas included in the second quarter index, New York (Manhattan), N.Y. ranked as the most expensive place to live with a rating of 226. The least expensive city, once again, was McAllen, Texas coming in at 75.9.
