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Everyone wants a home that mixes affordability with comfort and North Dakota does this very well. Families love the Peace Garden State's beaches, midlands, and mountains as tourists before moving here and calling it home.
But before you decide to relocate, you have to do some research into the exact cost of living around the state -- and that's how we're going to help you.
These are the places in North Dakota that cost a pretty penny -- the most expensive cities in the state.
After we saved up for months and could finally afford it, we landed on this list of the ten most expensive cities in North Dakota for 2023.
So where is the most expensive place to live in North Dakota? That would be Watford City.
the 2017-2021 American Community Survey for the 49 places in North Dakota with more than 1,000 people.
Here are the 10 most expensive places to live in North Dakota for 2023:
What's the most expensive place to live in North Dakota? Well, HomeSnacks crunched the numbers and discovered that Watford City is the most expensive place to live in North Dakota.
So hopefully Beach (the cheapest place to live in North Dakota) can show these guys how to live on a budget in the coming years. Read on for how these places had costs rise faster than inflation.
And if you already knew these places were expensive, check out some more reading about North Dakota and the most expensive cities in the country:
The 10 Most Expensive Places To Live In North Dakota For 2023
1. Watford City
/10
Population: 5,725
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 4.1x (2nd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 61.4x (4th most expensive)
More on Watford City: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Watford City comes in at $76,366 and the median home value is $314,100 for 2023.
2. Surrey
/10
Population: 1,430
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.1x (10th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 67.4x (11th most expensive)
More on Surrey: Real Estate | Data
The median income in Surrey comes in at $84,231 and the median home value is $258,700 for 2023.
3. Grand Forks
/10
Population: 58,867
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 4.0x (3rd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 63.1x (7th most expensive)
More on Grand Forks: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Grand Forks comes in at $53,611 and the median home value is $215,900 for 2023.
4. Lincoln
/10
Population: 4,126
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 9)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.0x (11th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 61.7x (6th most expensive)
More on Lincoln: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Lincoln comes in at $76,333 and the median home value is $232,300 for 2023.
5. Fargo
/10
Population: 124,979
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.9x (4th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 71.6x (14th most expensive)
More on Fargo: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Fargo comes in at $60,243 and the median home value is $232,900 for 2023.
6. Dickinson
/10
Population: 24,851
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.6x (5th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 71.7x (15th most expensive)
More on Dickinson: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Dickinson comes in at $64,806 and the median home value is $236,000 for 2023.
7. Bismarck
/10
Population: 73,321
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.6x (6th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 77.6x (25th most expensive)
More on Bismarck: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Bismarck comes in at $70,125 and the median home value is $254,400 for 2023.
8. Casselton
/10
Population: 2,493
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 4.1x (most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 80.9x (3most expensive)
More on Casselton: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Casselton comes in at $57,227 and the median home value is $237,200 for 2023.
9. Jamestown
/10
Population: 15,823
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.3x (8th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 68.4x (12th most expensive)
More on Jamestown: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Jamestown comes in at $49,038 and the median home value is $164,100 for 2023.
10. Minot
/10
Population: 48,005
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.2x (9th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 76.8x (23rd most expensive)
More on Minot: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Minot comes in at $68,543 and the median home value is $217,500 for 2023.
Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Peace Garden State For 2023
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford if you can live comes down to:
- How much do money do I make?
- How much do I have spend to live there?
You need to understand your costs in the context of how much money you make.
For example, if the median household earns $100,000 and spends $40,000 on housing it's actually cheaper to live there than a place with a median income of $50,000 and housing costs of $21,000. You might spend more on housing, but you have more money overall to play with.
With that example in mind, we derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2017-2021 around incomes and costs. They are:
- Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
- Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
- Median Home Price
We added simply median home price because high home prices generally correlate with higher expenses for all costs related to homes (heating, electricity, etc).
You can then compare these metrics in each of the places in North Dakota to figure out which is the most expensive.
What you are left with is a "Cost of Living Index" by taking the average rank of each of these metrics for each city.
So we used that cost of living index in order to rank all of the 49 places in North Dakota that have more than 1,000 people.
The place with the highest cost of living in North Dakota according to the data is Watford City. You can download the data here.
Summary: Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In North Dakota For 2023
Well there you have it, the places in North Dakota that have the highest cost of living, with Watford City ranking as the most expensive city in the Peace Garden State.
Here's a look at the most affordable cities in North Dakota according to the data:
- Beach
- Oakes
- Rolla
For more North Dakota reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In North Dakota
- Cheapest Places To Live In North Dakota
- Most Dangerous Cities In North Dakota
- Best Places To Raise A Family In North Dakota
- Safest Places In North Dakota
- Worst Places To Live In North Dakota
Detailed List Of The Most Expensive Cities In North Dakota
| Rank | City | ExpensiveScore |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Watford City | 2.67 |
| 2 | Surrey | 8.0 |
| 3 | Grand Forks | 8.0 |
| 4 | Lincoln | 9.0 |
| 5 | Fargo | 9.0 |
| 6 | Dickinson | 9.33 |
| 7 | Bismarck | 12.0 |
| 8 | Casselton | 13.0 |
| 9 | Jamestown | 13.67 |
| 10 | Minot | 15.0 |
| 11 | Williston | 15.0 |
| 12 | Devils Lake | 15.33 |
| 13 | Wahpeton | 19.0 |
| 14 | Mandan | 19.33 |
| 15 | West Fargo | 20.67 |
| 16 | New Town | 21.0 |
| 17 | Parshall | 21.0 |
| 18 | Washburn | 23.0 |
| 19 | Horace | 23.33 |
| 20 | Burlington | 24.67 |
| 21 | Harvey | 24.67 |
| 22 | Mayville | 25.67 |
| 23 | Valley City | 25.67 |
| 24 | Cando | 26.67 |
| 25 | New Rockford | 27.0 |
| 26 | Rugby | 27.67 |
| 27 | Velva | 28.0 |
| 28 | Cavalier | 28.67 |
| 29 | Carrington | 28.67 |
| 30 | Thompson | 29.67 |
| 31 | Beulah | 30.67 |
| 32 | Ellendale | 31.33 |
| 33 | Crosby | 32.33 |
| 34 | Bottineau | 33.0 |
| 35 | Larimore | 33.0 |
| 36 | Garrison | 33.0 |
| 37 | Park River | 33.33 |
| 38 | Bowman | 33.67 |
| 39 | Stanley | 35.0 |
| 40 | Hazen | 35.33 |
| 41 | Lisbon | 36.0 |
| 42 | Enderlin | 36.0 |
| 43 | Hettinger | 38.0 |
| 44 | Hillsboro | 38.33 |
| 45 | Langdon | 40.0 |
| 46 | Grafton | 41.67 |
| 47 | Rolla | 41.67 |
| 48 | Oakes | 43.67 |
| 49 | Beach | 46.33 |
