Comparing Apples to the Big Apple: Yes, Washington, D.C., Is More Expensive Than New York City

Contrary to what the Wall Street Journal claims, the metropolitan geographic unit of analysis for New York City is the same as the metropolitan geographic unit of analysis for Washington, D.C. 

Theme: Geographic stereotypes.

Subject Article: "No, Washington, D.C., Is Not More Expensive than New York City."

Other Links: 1. "BLS report on cost of living."
2. "It’s more expensive to live in D.C. than New York, study says."
3. "D.C. is more expensive than New York? Twitter reacts."
4. "Behind a Blue-Collar Cliché: 'The Office' and returning natives help Scranton, Pa., stage a comeback."
5. "Fortresses of Globalization and Wilmington, Delaware."
6. "D.C. more expensive than New York? It’s complicated."

Postscript: Jed Kolko, Chief Economist and VP of Analytics at Trulia, chimes in on the confusion:

The real problem with DC-more-$ claim is that data on average spending was misinterpreted as a cost-of-living metric.

There you have it. All the hyperventilating about comparing apples-to-oranges was for naught.