Cheapest and Most Expensive States to Build in 2026

Building costs depend heavily on where you live. We ranked all 50 states plus Washington DC using the Department of Defense Area Cost Factors (ACF) published by the US Army Corps of Engineers: USACE PAX Newsletter No. 3.2.1 (18 Aug 2026), Table 4-1 of UFS 3-701-01, as of 2026-10-14. National average = 1.00.

Cheapest: Mississippi (0.81), North Carolina (0.81), Texas (0.82). Most expensive: Alaska (2.23), Hawaii (2.14), Oregon (1.24). At the extremes, the same project is priced about 2.8× higher in Alaska than in Mississippi.

Example project costs multiply national averages by each state's factor: Midrange bathroom remodel $26,138 (2025 Cost vs. Value (Zonda)); Minor midrange kitchen remodel $28,458 (2025 Cost vs. Value (Zonda)); Asphalt roof replacement (26 squares) $16,297 (Instant Roofer). Each is as of 2026-10-14. This is our arithmetic, not a quote.

10 cheapest states to build in

Rank	State	ACF	Midrange bathroom remodel	Minor midrange kitchen remodel	Asphalt roof replacement (26 squares)
1	Mississippi	0.81	$21,172	$23,051	$13,201
2	North Carolina	0.81	$21,172	$23,051	$13,201
3	Texas	0.82	$21,433	$23,336	$13,364
4	Arkansas	0.83	$21,695	$23,620	$13,527
5	Alabama	0.85	$22,217	$24,189	$13,852
6	Louisiana	0.85	$22,217	$24,189	$13,852
7	Florida	0.87	$22,740	$24,758	$14,178
8	Kentucky	0.87	$22,740	$24,758	$14,178
9	Tennessee	0.87	$22,740	$24,758	$14,178
10	Georgia	0.88	$23,001	$25,043	$14,341

10 most expensive states to build in

Rank	State	ACF	Midrange bathroom remodel	Minor midrange kitchen remodel	Asphalt roof replacement (26 squares)
1	Alaska	2.23	$58,288	$63,461	$36,342
2	Hawaii	2.14	$55,935	$60,900	$34,876
3	Oregon	1.24	$32,411	$35,288	$20,208
4	California	1.23	$32,150	$35,003	$20,045
5	Massachusetts	1.20	$31,366	$34,150	$19,556
6	New Jersey	1.18	$30,843	$33,580	$19,230
7	Rhode Island	1.17	$30,581	$33,296	$19,067
8	Nevada	1.17	$30,581	$33,296	$19,067
9	North Dakota	1.14	$29,797	$32,442	$18,579
10	Idaho	1.13	$29,536	$32,158	$18,416

Caveats

ACFs are designed for military and commercial-style construction. We use them only as a rough relative guide for home projects (see our methodology).
State factors hide big differences within a state. The same newsletter lists New York State at 1.03 but New York City at 1.32.
Ties share a value. Ranks within a tie follow alphabetical order.

All states, cheapest to most expensive

Rank	State	ACF
1	Mississippi	0.81
2	North Carolina	0.81
3	Texas	0.82
4	Arkansas	0.83
5	Alabama	0.85
6	Louisiana	0.85
7	Florida	0.87
8	Kentucky	0.87
9	Tennessee	0.87
10	Georgia	0.88
11	Oklahoma	0.88
12	South Carolina	0.88
13	New Mexico	0.89
14	Virginia	0.89
15	Kansas	0.91
16	Ohio	0.93
17	West Virginia	0.94
18	Indiana	0.95
19	Colorado	0.97
20	Maryland	0.97
21	Arizona	0.98
22	Delaware	0.98
23	Missouri	0.98
24	Iowa	1.00
25	Nebraska	1.00
26	South Dakota	1.01
27	Illinois	1.02
28	Washington DC	1.02
29	New York	1.03
30	Michigan	1.04
31	Vermont	1.05
32	Wyoming	1.05
33	Montana	1.07
34	Utah	1.07
35	Maine	1.08
36	Connecticut	1.09
37	Pennsylvania	1.09
38	Washington	1.10
39	New Hampshire	1.11
40	Wisconsin	1.11
41	Minnesota	1.12
42	Idaho	1.13
43	North Dakota	1.14
44	Nevada	1.17
45	Rhode Island	1.17
46	New Jersey	1.18
47	Massachusetts	1.20
48	California	1.23
49	Oregon	1.24
50	Hawaii	2.14
51	Alaska	2.23

Use the region selector in any ProjectMath calculator to apply your state's factor.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-14. Prices are national planning ranges; get local quotes.