East Coast vs. West Coast: Living on One of These Coasts Will Cost You Extra

Lisa Steuer McArdle
· 3 min read
There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to living on either the east or west coast of the United States, and of course most people who live on each coast probably think where they live is superior.
The West Coast has beautiful scenery and diverse cities from Los Angeles to Seattle, while the East Coast has everything from bustling New York City to Florida’s palm trees. Clearly, each coast has something for everyone.
But according to our data here at
Jerry
, there is one advantage that living on the West Coast has over the East Coast:
cheaper car insurance.

East vs. West coast car insurance rates

The coast of California, where car insurance is cheaper than the East Coast.
We reviewed more than 574,000 car insurance quotes for drivers in all states on the east and west coasts. We sourced the data from our more than 1 million total customer quotes provided between July 2020 to July 2021.
We found that on average, Californians pay $173. Oregon drivers pay $187 and Washington drivers pay $197, meaning that California drivers pay the least for car insurance out of the west coast states.
In fact, East Coasters with no violations pay, on average, 45% more per month than West Coasters. That works out to about $80 more.
Californians also pay significantly less than New York drivers, who have an average monthly premium of $400—one of the highest rates out of both the east and west coast states.
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Men vs. women car insurance rates

MORE: It’s Official: New York Drivers Are Better Than New Jersey AND California Drivers
We also found some differences in what women and men pay for car insurance on the east and west coasts.
Women on the East Coast pay on average $73 more per month, while men on the East Coast pay $86 more per month than West Coast drivers.
In fact, most of our data shows that in most states on the east and west coasts, men pay more than the women in that state.
This makes sense, as men statistically pay more for car insurance compared to women. This is because women have a reputation of driving more safely than men—and better driving choices means fewer accidents. So, providers tend to charge men more.
Of course, other factors come into play when insurance companies determine quotes for each customer, such as the individual’s driving record,
credit score
, age, how much you drive your car, the car you drive, and more.
Oregon was the one state on the west coast where that was not the case. There, we found that men pay about $185 per month on average, while women pay about $189.

Save with Jerry

No matter which coast you live on or how much you are paying for
car insurance
, you can save money and find the best premium with
Jerry
.
The free app quotes from up to 45 different insurance companies for you in under a minute, without any long forms to fill out.
Jerry will send you quotes that compare to your current coverage—and as a licensed broker, it takes care of your insurance needs from start to finish. The app also monitors your car insurance rate every six months on an ongoing basis.

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