Yahoo Finance Here’s The Cost of Expenses in America’s 40 Sunniest Cities
If you subscribe to the belief “rain, rain, go away” then the allure of America’s sunniest cities may be quite enticing.
With seemingly endless blue skies, warm temperatures year-round and a lifestyle that borders on a permanent vacation, many of the sunniest and largest cities in the United States offer you all you could want when you retire or just daily. However, the perks of paradise often come with a plump price tag.
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GOBankingRates conducted a study to determine the average cost of expenses when living in some of America’s sunniest cities. The estimates were found by average monthly costs of groceries, healthcare, transportation, utilities and other miscellaneous costs and then they were ranked by least to most precipitation.
Here are some key takeaways:
Of the 40 cities listed, the top 10 all have less than 10 inches of annual rainfall.
It comes as no surprise that states such as Arizona, Texas and California have several cities on the list, but Colorado has three listings in the top 20.
What you spend is only compounded by what you make. On the low end of the spectrum is Presidio, Texas with a household median income of $22,917, whereas Los Alamos, New Mexico comes in on the higher end with a median household income of $130,342.
Living in America’s sunniest cities comes with a variety of costs. Ultimately, the choice of city will depend on your budget and lifestyle preferences, but the sunny skies remain a constant benefit across these locations.
Here’s a breakdown of the 40 sunniest cities ranked from least to most annual precipitation, and what it costs to live there.
1. Imperial, California
Annual precipitation in inches: 4.8
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,090
Average household mortgage payment: $2,319
Total monthly cost of living: $4,409
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2. El Paso, Texas
Annual precipitation in inches: 5.1
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,829
Average household mortgage payment: $1,331
Total monthly cost of living: $3,160
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3. Yuma, Arizona
Annual precipitation in inches: 6.7
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,095
Average household mortgage payment: $1,779
Total monthly cost of living: $3,874
4. Maricopa, Arizona
Annual precipitation in inches: 7.8
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,039
Average household mortgage payment: $2,189
Total monthly cost of living: $4,228
5. San Bernardino, California
Annual precipitation in inches: 8.2
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,041
Average household mortgage payment: $2,924
Total monthly cost of living: $4,965
6. Bernalillo, New Mexico
Annual precipitation in inches: 8.3
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,859
Average household mortgage payment: $1,920
Total monthly cost of living: $3,779
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7. Presidio, Texas
Annual precipitation in inches: 8.9
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,864
Average household mortgage payment: $760
Total monthly cost of living: $2,624
8. Alamosa, Colorado
Annual precipitation in inches: 9.1
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,799
Average household mortgage payment: $1,734
Total monthly cost of living: $3,533
9. Riverside, California
Annual precipitation in inches: 9.6
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,066
Average household mortgage payment: $3,842
Total monthly cost of living: $5,908
10. Andrews, Texas
Annual precipitation in inches: 9.8
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,848
Average household mortgage payment: $1,308
Total monthly cost of living: $3,156
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11. Montrose, Colorado
Annual precipitation in inches: 10
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,749
Average household mortgage payment: $2,611
Total monthly cost of living: $4,359
12. Terrell, Texas
Annual precipitation in inches: 10
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,137
Average household mortgage payment: $1,688
Total monthly cost of living: $3,824
13. Midland, Texas
Annual precipitation in inches: 10.2
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,893
Average household mortgage payment: $1,822
Total monthly cost of living: $3,715
14. Jerome, Idaho
Annual precipitation in inches: 10.9
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,788
Average household mortgage payment: $2,207
Total monthly cost of living: $3,996
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15. Tooele, Utah
Annual precipitation in inches: 11
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,966
Average household mortgage payment: $2,547
Total monthly cost of living: $4,513
16. Santa Fe, New Mexico
Annual precipitation in inches: 11.1
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,976
Average household mortgage payment: $3,595
Total monthly cost of living: $5,571
17. Walla Walla, Washington
Annual precipitation in inches: 12.2
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,736
Average household mortgage payment: $2,450
Total monthly cost of living: $4,187
18. Crockett, Texas
Annual precipitation in inches: 12.4
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,786
Average household mortgage payment: $906
Total monthly cost of living: $2,692
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19. Delta, Colorado
Annual precipitation in inches: 12.7
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,760
Average household mortgage payment: $2,074
Total monthly cost of living: $3,834
20. Cavalier, Nevada
Annual precipitation in inches: 13.1
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,771
Average household mortgage payment: $820
Total monthly cost of living: $2,591
21. Twin Falls, Idaho
Annual precipitation in inches: 13.3
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,824
Average household mortgage payment: $2,098
Total monthly cost of living: $3,922
22. Marshall, Minnesota
Annual precipitation in inches: 13.5
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,636
Average household mortgage payment: $1,375
Total monthly cost of living: $3,011
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23. Saguache, Colorado
Annual precipitation in inches: 14.2
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,823
Average household mortgage payment: $1,232
Total monthly cost of living: $3,055
24. Los Alamos, New Mexico
Annual precipitation in inches: 14.6
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,706
Average household mortgage payment: $3,430
Total monthly cost of living: $5,136
25. Merced, California
Annual precipitation in inches: 15
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,160
Average household mortgage payment: $2,347
Total monthly cost of living: $4,507
26. Washington, Utah
Annual precipitation in inches: 15.2
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,916
Average household mortgage payment: $3,375
Total monthly cost of living: $5,291
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27. San Joaquin, California
Annual precipitation in inches: 15.3
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,024
Average household mortgage payment: $1,625
Total monthly cost of living: $3,648
28. Ouray, Colorado
Annual precipitation in inches: 15.7
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,907
Average household mortgage payment: $4,262
Total monthly cost of living: $6,169
29. Taos, New Mexico
Annual precipitation in inches: 15.8
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,793
Average household mortgage payment: $2,850
Total monthly cost of living: $4,643
30. San Diego, California
Annual precipitation in inches: 16.4
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,367
Average household mortgage payment: $6,926
Total monthly cost of living: $9,293
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31. Grand Forks, North Dakota
Annual precipitation in inches: 16.4
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,048
Average household mortgage payment: $1,592
Total monthly cost of living: $3,640
32. Dolores, Colorado
Annual precipitation in inches: 16.7
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,828
Average household mortgage payment: $2,705
Total monthly cost of living: $4,533
33. Pueblo, Colorado
Annual precipitation in inches: 17
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,950
Average household mortgage payment: $1,741
Total monthly cost of living: $3,690
34. Las Animas, Colorado
Annual precipitation in inches: 17.1
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,842
Average household mortgage payment: $572
Total monthly cost of living: $2,414
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35. Kiowa, Colorado
Annual precipitation in inches: 17.2
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,177
Average household mortgage payment: $3,784
Total monthly cost of living: $5,961
36. Elko, Nevada
Annual precipitation in inches: 17.2
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,009
Average household mortgage payment: $2,014
Total monthly cost of living: $4,022
37. Fresno, California
Annual precipitation in inches: 18
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,077
Average household mortgage payment: $2,331
Total monthly cost of living: $4,408
38. Dawson, Texas
Annual precipitation in inches: 18.2
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $1,857
Average household mortgage payment: $937
Total monthly cost of living: $2,794
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39. Orange, California
Annual precipitation in inches: 18.3
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,093
Average household mortgage payment: $6,753
Total monthly cost of living: $8,846
40. Sacramento, California
Annual precipitation in inches: 18.4
Average monthly cost of expenditures: $2,231
Average household mortgage payment: $2,928
Total monthly cost of living: $5,158
For the methodology of this study, GOBankingRates analyzed the sunniest cities in the United States to find the cost of expenses. First GOBankingRates found the sunniest cities by using the National Centers for Environmental Information’s Climate at a Glance data to find the total amount of precipitation a location has received in the last 12 months from March 2023 to April 2024, in order to estimate the amount of sunshine a location gets. For each city a number of factors were found including; cost of living indexes as sourced from Sperlings BestPlaces, livability index as sourced from AreaVibes, and the average single-family home value from April 2024 as sourced from Zillow Home Value Index. The cost of living indexes was used along with the average expenditure cost for all residents as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, to find the average cost of expenditures in each city. By assuming a 10% downpayment and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average mortgage cost can be calculated for each city. Using the mortgage and expenditure costs, the total average monthly cost of living can be calculated. The cost of living expenditures were listed to show some of the monthly expenditure costs including; grocery, transportation, utilities, healthcare, and misc. The cities were sorted to show the sunnies cities first. All data was collected on and is up to date as of June 12, 2024.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Here’s The Cost of Expenses in America’s 40 Sunniest Cities
