The 2026 Construction Cost Index, by State
The same project does not cost the same everywhere. This index expresses each state's residential construction pricing relative to the national average (=100), built from regional contractor pricing data and state-level labor-market multipliers — the same dataset that powers every BuildCost estimate. A state at 135 prices a typical project roughly 35% above the national average; a state at 90 prices it 10% below.
Cost Index & Example Project Costs (2026)
Sorted from most to least expensive. Example costs are mid-grade national-average projects scaled by each state's index: a 576 sq ft 2-car garage, a 150 sq ft mid-range kitchen remodel, and a 300 sq ft home addition.
| # | State | Region | Index | 2-Car Garage | Kitchen Remodel | Home Addition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | West | 155 | $48,400 | $74,400 | $107,000 |
| 2 | Alaska | West | 145 | $45,300 | $69,600 | $100,100 |
| 3 | New York | Northeast | 140 | $43,700 | $67,200 | $96,600 |
| 4 | California | West | 135 | $42,100 | $64,800 | $93,200 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | Northeast | 132 | $41,200 | $63,400 | $91,100 |
| 6 | New Jersey | Northeast | 130 | $40,600 | $62,400 | $89,700 |
| 7 | Connecticut | Northeast | 128 | $40,000 | $61,400 | $88,300 |
| 8 | Washington | West | 125 | $39,000 | $60,000 | $86,300 |
| 9 | Maryland | Northeast | 122 | $38,100 | $58,600 | $84,200 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | Northeast | 120 | $37,500 | $57,600 | $82,800 |
| 11 | Oregon | West | 118 | $36,800 | $56,600 | $81,400 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | Northeast | 118 | $36,800 | $56,600 | $81,400 |
| 13 | Colorado | West | 115 | $35,900 | $55,200 | $79,400 |
| 14 | Delaware | Northeast | 115 | $35,900 | $55,200 | $79,400 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | Northeast | 115 | $35,900 | $55,200 | $79,400 |
| 16 | Vermont | Northeast | 112 | $35,000 | $53,800 | $77,300 |
| 17 | Florida | Southeast | 110 | $34,300 | $52,800 | $75,900 |
| 18 | Maine | Northeast | 110 | $34,300 | $52,800 | $75,900 |
| 19 | Nevada | West | 110 | $34,300 | $52,800 | $75,900 |
| 20 | Illinois | Midwest | 108 | $33,700 | $51,800 | $74,500 |
| 21 | Minnesota | Midwest | 105 | $32,800 | $50,400 | $72,500 |
| 22 | Texas | Southwest | 105 | $32,800 | $50,400 | $72,500 |
| 23 | Utah | West | 105 | $32,800 | $50,400 | $72,500 |
| 24 | Virginia | Southeast | 105 | $32,800 | $50,400 | $72,500 |
| 25 | Arizona | Southwest | 102 | $31,800 | $49,000 | $70,400 |
| 26 | Idaho | West | 100 | $31,200 | $48,000 | $69,000 |
| 27 | Montana | West | 100 | $31,200 | $48,000 | $69,000 |
| 28 | Ohio | Midwest | 98 | $30,600 | $47,000 | $67,600 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | Midwest | 98 | $30,600 | $47,000 | $67,600 |
| 30 | Wyoming | West | 98 | $30,600 | $47,000 | $67,600 |
| 31 | Michigan | Midwest | 96 | $30,000 | $46,100 | $66,200 |
| 32 | North Dakota | Midwest | 96 | $30,000 | $46,100 | $66,200 |
| 33 | Georgia | Southeast | 95 | $29,700 | $45,600 | $65,600 |
| 34 | Indiana | Midwest | 95 | $29,700 | $45,600 | $65,600 |
| 35 | Missouri | Midwest | 95 | $29,700 | $45,600 | $65,600 |
| 36 | New Mexico | Southwest | 95 | $29,700 | $45,600 | $65,600 |
| 37 | Iowa | Midwest | 94 | $29,300 | $45,100 | $64,900 |
| 38 | Nebraska | Midwest | 94 | $29,300 | $45,100 | $64,900 |
| 39 | North Carolina | Southeast | 94 | $29,300 | $45,100 | $64,900 |
| 40 | South Dakota | Midwest | 94 | $29,300 | $45,100 | $64,900 |
| 41 | Kansas | Midwest | 93 | $29,000 | $44,600 | $64,200 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | Southwest | 92 | $28,700 | $44,200 | $63,500 |
| 43 | Tennessee | Southeast | 92 | $28,700 | $44,200 | $63,500 |
| 44 | Kentucky | Southeast | 90 | $28,100 | $43,200 | $62,100 |
| 45 | Louisiana | Southeast | 90 | $28,100 | $43,200 | $62,100 |
| 46 | South Carolina | Southeast | 90 | $28,100 | $43,200 | $62,100 |
| 47 | Alabama | Southeast | 88 | $27,500 | $42,200 | $60,700 |
| 48 | West Virginia | Southeast | 88 | $27,500 | $42,200 | $60,700 |
| 49 | Arkansas | Southeast | 87 | $27,200 | $41,800 | $60,000 |
| 50 | Mississippi | Southeast | 85 | $26,500 | $40,800 | $58,700 |
Key Findings
- Hawaii is the most expensive state to build in (2026 index: 155), while Mississippi is the least expensive (index: 85) — a spread of 70 points on the same project.
- A mid-grade 2-car garage ranges from $26,500 in Mississippi to $48,400 in Hawaii.
- 19 states price 10%+ above the national average; 18 states price 5%+ below it.
Methodology & How to Cite
Index values are derived from BuildCost's regional contractor pricing dataset — per-unit cost ranges for 19 residential project types across the five U.S. census regions — combined with state-level labor-market multipliers, calibrated for 2026. Full detail on sources and update cadence is on our methodology page.
This dataset is free to reference, chart, or republish with attribution:
BuildCost 2026 Construction Cost Index — buildcost.io/cost-index
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