California had the highest regional price parity last year, which suggests living there is expensive.Carmen Martínez Torrón/Getty ImagesNew regional price parity data showed the varying cost of living in the US.California and Washington, DC, had the highest cost of living, largely driven by housing costs.Most of the states with the lowest relative cost of living were around the middle of the country.Many states have a lower cost of living than the national average, but the West Coast and Northeast are still pricey.The Bureau of Economic Analysis published new regional price parity data on Thursday that showed how expensive it is to live in different areas of the US."Regional price parities measure the differences in price levels across states for a given year and are expressed as a percentage of the overall national price level," BEA said in a news release.The new 2023 data showed 16 states and Washington, DC, had more expensive goods and services than the national average.