It "depends".Its almost a certainty that living in OK, AL, or KY is significantly more economical than living in CA, MA, or NY.
If someone can't see that by simply taking a glance at the chart, either they are not trying, or they are so biased they don't want to see it.
Feel free to disregard it if you like.
If you are comparing rural Truckee California to downtown Albuquerque, they may not. Or how about if you are comparing Washington average to California average, vs Seattle Washington vs Riverside California?
Cities matter way more than states.