
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 21, 1994                    TAG: 9406210341 
SECTION: LOCAL                     PAGE: B8    EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA  
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT 
DATELINE: 940621                                 LENGTH: Short

DARE'S COST OF LIVING IS HIGHEST IN STATE

{LEAD} Dare County's cost-of-living index for the first quarter of 1994 was 109.1 - 9.1 percent above the national average and the highest in the state.

The highest cost-of-living index in the United States was Boston, which ranks 35.6 percent above the national average.

{REST} Based on the prices of 59 items, The American Chamber of Commerce Cost of Living Index measures differences between areas in the cost of consumer goods and services, excluding taxes and non-consumer expenditures.

Costs are measured quarterly, and in Dare County collected by the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce.

The composite index, based on six items, listed the following statistics for the quarter: grocery items, 92.2 percent; housing, 123.8 percent; utilities, 126 percent; transportation, 100.3 percent; health care 94.9 percent; and miscellaneous goods and services, 105.1 percent.

For more information, call 919-441-8144 or 919-995-4213.

by CNB