Just looked into car ownership costs across different states and wow, some places are absolutely brutal. California tops the list at over $28k per year when you factor in everything—sales tax, insurance, gas, repairs. That's insane. Gas alone runs $4.71 a gallon there.

I was curious about are cars cheaper in new jersey since people always say it's a pricey area. Turns out nope—New Jersey ranks 7th most expensive at $26,614 annually. Their sales tax of 6.63% adds like $3,200 in year one, plus insurance and repair costs are higher than most states.

The real pattern I'm seeing: East Coast and West Coast states dominate the expensive list. Nevada's second worst at $28,135 (that 8.25% sales tax kills you), and Florida's third at $26,819 thanks to crazy insurance premiums. Even Kansas at #10 gets hit hard with a 7.5% sales tax that wipes out their cheaper gas prices.

What's wild is how much variation there is. The difference between the cheapest and most expensive states is like $5,000+ per year. If you're thinking about buying a car, your state matters more than you'd think. Insurance premiums alone vary wildly—Florida drivers pay $2,560 on average while Washington drivers pay $1,371. That's a huge gap for the same vehicle.

Makes you wonder if it's worth considering relocation just for car costs, or at least factoring this into your budget if you're moving somewhere new.