Historically, Oklahoma City has often ranked in the top quartile, typically between 20th and 30th, often without much attention. However, in the 2024 ranking, Oklahoma City has secured the 10th spot, with Ponca City, another Oklahoma City, claiming the 2nd position. This dual representation emphasizes the state's prominence in terms of affordability alongside locations in Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Indiana, and Illinois. 

Oklahoma City’s overall composite index value is now 16.4 points below the national average, reflecting a slight decrease of 1.0 points from the 2023 Q1 index. 

Oklahoma City's category rankings are as follows: 

• Grocery: 94.7 (+1.7) 

• Housing: 63.0 (-4.5) 

• Utilities: 100.0 (+2.5) 

• Transportation: 90.3 (-6.0) 

• Health Care: 100.3 (-3.4) 

• Miscellaneous Goods & Services: 87.1 (+1.3) 

COLI measures relative price levels for consumer goods and services in participating areas, providing an accurate gauge of living cost differences among urban areas. The index comprises two sections: the urban area index and average prices. The urban index includes each area's composite index and six component indexes: grocery, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services. Average prices for each item in the survey are reported for areas that participated in at least two of the three previous pricing periods.  
For more information and to explore the nuances of the data, visit coli.org. 

This story originally ran on the VeloCityOKC.com.