Cost of living edges past national average in Beaufort

The cost of living index in Beaufort, Port Royal and Bluffton for the third quarter of 2009 was 102.7 percent, the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce announced.

Among the 315 urban areas participating, indexes ranged from more than twice the national average in New York's Manhattan to almost 16 percent below the national average in Pueblo, Colo.

The cost of living index is administered by the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association.

The data for the latest index was collected July 10-12.

The index measures regional differences in the cost of consumer goods and services, excluding taxes and non-consumer expenditures, for professional and managerial households in the top income quintile.

The composite index is based on housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, health care and miscellaneous goods and services.