Cost of Living in Williston
Williston's cost-of-living picture is genuinely favorable, and this record discloses it precisely: a BestPlaces cost-of-living index cited at approximately 6.7% below the U.S. national average, driven by genuinely affordable rent and a low effective property tax rate, though North Dakota's real (not zero) income tax is a disclosed nuance.
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Learn moreA Real, Below-Average Overall Cost-of-Living Index
BestPlaces cited Williston at a cost-of-living index of approximately 93.3 (where 100 represents the national average) -- approximately 6.7% below the U.S. national average and approximately 5.3% below the North Dakota state average. The Williston metro area carried a similar cited index of approximately 92.9.
Rent Runs Meaningfully Below the National Comparison Figure
As detailed on the renting topic page, RentCafe cited Williston's average rent across all apartment types at approximately $1,206/month, roughly 40% below this project's ~$2,000 national comparison figure -- a real, substantial affordability advantage on the rental side specifically.
Home Prices Run Only Modestly Below the National Figure
As detailed on the housing-market topic page, Williston's cited median sale price (~$369,799) runs only approximately 9.5% below this project's ~$408,776 national comparison figure -- a real but genuinely MODEST advantage on the ownership side, distinct from the more dramatic gap cited for rent.
North Dakota's Real Income Tax Is Low, Not Zero
As detailed on the taxes topic page, North Dakota levies a real, current, genuinely low but NOT zero individual income tax (a tiered 0%/1.95%/2.5% structure) -- a real, disclosed nuance for movers comparing Williston against a true no-income-tax market.
A Real, Disclosed Gap on Williston-Specific Homeowners Insurance
This record discloses a real, disclosed gap directly: it did not find a Williston-city-specific homeowners-insurance citation this pass, only a real, notably wide North Dakota statewide spread (~$1,300-$3,134/year across sources) -- see the homeowners-insurance topic page.
Key takeaways
- BestPlaces cited Williston running approximately 6.7% below the U.S. national cost-of-living average.
- Williston's rent runs meaningfully below the national comparison figure (~40%); its home prices run only modestly below it (~9.5%).
- North Dakota's real income tax is genuinely low but not zero -- a real, disclosed nuance versus a true no-income-tax state.
- Williams County's effective property tax rate runs low by both national and North Dakota statewide comparison.
- This record did not find a Williston-specific homeowners-insurance figure this pass -- only a real, wide North Dakota statewide spread.
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