BiggerPockets Money Podcast · Friday, July 10, 2026
The BiggerPockets Money podcast identified Santa Cruz, California as the most expensive market in the US, with a median monthly spending of $12,600 for a couple with kids. Beckley, West Virginia, was found to be the least expensive, with estimated median monthly spending of $6,500 for a similar household.
“So the most expensive market in the United States of America that I can find is actually Santa Cruz, Watsonville, California. And for a couple with kids, that's not using daycare, I'm estimating you're going to spend about $12,600 per month at the median.”
“Yes, so of the places that I compiled data for, Beckley, West Virginia, um, which is in southeastern West Virginia, is the cheapest market in terms of raw dollar costs to live in the country for this type of household.”
“So for a couple with kids, age 35 to 44, I'm estimating that the median spending is about $6,500 per month for this household, middle income household in that area.”