The cost of living in southwestern Utah is rising slightly, according to information collected during January by a Southern Utah University faculty member for an American Chamber of Commerce report.
"The data for the first quarter indicate there is some upward pressure on local prices," Alan Hamlin, professor of business at SUU, notes. "Overall, prices rose very modestly at 0.06 percent during the quarter in St. George and 1.9 percent in Cedar City. Most of this increase comes in housing and health-care costs in St. George and in housing and miscellaneous items in Cedar City."Hamlin's quarterly study is funded jointly by Intermountain Health Care, Western Electrochemical Co., St. George and Cedar City. Local results are then included in the Cost of Living Index, published by the American Chamber of Commerce Researcher's Association (ACCRA). That publication allows local costs to be compared with prices in other cities around the nation.
The most recently published information for the third quarter of 1997 shows a composite cost-of-living index for St. George of 101.4 percent, down slightly from the previous quarter's 101.6 percent. An index of 100 percent represents the national average cost. Cedar City had a 93.9 percent composite, compared with 92.8 three months earlier.
Other cities and their third-quarter 1997 costs include Provo, 96.0; Phoenix, 103.5; Flagstaff, Ariz., 113.9; Denver, 106.4; Los Angeles, 116.1; and San Diego, 119.9.
"Since the data is collected quarterly, local costs can be tracked over time," Hamlin said. "For example, information from the first week of January shows an average 1,800-square-foot new home in St. George now costs $151,350, up somewhat from last quarter's $148,125. The same home in Cedar City has risen to $109,250 from $106,250 three months ago."
Average apartment rents in St. George are now $520 per month for a two-bedroom unit, while those in Cedar City are $431.