40 U.S. Cities With The Highest Cost Of Living

5. Portola Valley, California

Portola Valley might be considered the spoiled little sister of Palo Alto. Palo Alto has served as the incubator of many tech geniuses and the companies they have built, and it has one of the highest costs of living in the country (via Best Places). Portola Valley has an even higher cost of living despite not having the accomplishments of Palo Alto. In this small census-designated place, the average value is $4.1 million, and residents pay an average of $393,471 to cover their annual living expenses (via Go Banking Rates).