COST OF LIVING IS AFFORDABILITY..... If you can't afford the cost of living in an area it isn't AFFORDABLE.
Population of the States has everything to do with TAXES and what federal funding they get, don't get, etc. Hence why red states get more money because they don't have the population to help pay for certain things.
You are also ignoring that many of the "subsidies" are also farm related when it comes to figuring out federal funding in states. especially when media and liberals wants to throw out numbers without context. So bigger agriculture states get higher subsidies or federal funding. CA is a huge state for AG but that is off set by the taxes on the tech sector. Where as your states of SD, ND, KS, etc.... have low population, big farm economies and not bigger industry to offset things.
What that means is..... AS AN EXAMPLE NUMBERS ARE NOT CORRECT.....CA can say we pay in $2B in taxes to the FED but only receive $1.5B in subsidies with $1B of that going to farmers. Because of the tech sector paying in taxes. Where as SD, ND, KS, etc... would pay in $500M in taxes but receive $600M in subsidies with $400M of that going to farmers. The farm community gets huge subsidies. This will show that "red states" take in more than they produce yet most of it is going back to FARMERS which is controlled by the feds. It shows going to 1 group.
Again this is just example of how it works. Crop insurance is a federal run program. So any payments for lost production, hailed out, drought, etc... gets SUBSIDISED or paid by the fed. You can be a shitty farmer and have a perfect growing season. But your yield is less than what you bought for insurance.... YOU GET PAID. These are FACTS. It is showing you how numbers are skewed.
I am not saying Red States don't take in more than they produce in taxes. I am saying you need to look at the numbers and where the money is going. Some states the money is going for social benefit programs that are not AG related. Be it SNAP, Housing, Education, Welfare, etc. Again... based on population, taxable population, taxable income in the state, etc.
When you stated POPULATION doesn't matter.... you are showing ignorance. Population is showing a tax base... be it income, sales, gas, property, rental, etc. higher population is more people to TAX. Which all off sets what States get back from the FED. Higher gas taxes in states means more money for roads and less money asked for from the Fed. Higher population sale tax means more sales. More income brought in because of sales... less money needed from the FED. So population is a driving factor. Same goes for Property taxes.....which typically is your driving factor with education/schools. Higher populations typically means higher cost of homes/rents which means higher property values.....more value means more tax collected.
Also there you go playing the stereotypical liberal.... WE ARE MORE EDUCATED/SMARTER THAN YOU..... really??? A degree doesn't mean you are educated or "smarter". It means you got a piece of paper for one field. In that one field you might be "smarter" or "educated". But the rest of it....people are not. I mean you are the one telling me Population has nothing to do with what States get back. Even in your reply stated.... more people = more taxes paid in. POPULATION MATTERS. Local services are paid for by....TAXES PAID IN BY LOCALS.... be it state, local, sales, property, etc taxes.
Anyways...... inflation isn't "rising" because of tariffs. Inflation rose because of printing of the US dollar, Government spending, and people not working during COVID. Inflation right now is at its about normal historic mark (3-4%)..... it was that way Biden's last year or so as well. "Inflation" prices don't just "come down" in a year.... it takes YEARS for them to come down if they ever do. That is the sad thing....especially when the Gov is forcing "higher wages" (fed/state min wages). It just keeps things higher priced. Which Government wants so they can tax it. Why do you think Trump is pushing so hard for lower interest rates.....he wants housing to stay HIGH. Which off sets federal tax funds needing to be spent because property taxes stay high.