cost of living

American  

noun

1. the average cost of food, clothing, and other necessary or usual goods and services paid by a person, family, etc., or considered as a standard by the members of a group.

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cost of living British  

noun

1. 1. the basic cost of the food, clothing, shelter, and fuel necessary to maintain life, esp at a standard regarded as basic or minimal

   2. ( as modifier )

      the cost-of-living index

2. the average expenditure of a person or family in a given period

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cost of living Cultural  

1. The average cost of the basic necessities of life, including food, shelter, and clothing.

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Discover More

In the United States, the cost of living is monitored in the consumer price index (formerly called the cost-of-living index), published monthly by the federal government.

Other Word Forms

• cost-of-living adjective

Etymology

Origin of cost of living

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Wendy, who uses the pantry herself, said she has struggled with the rising cost of living.

From BBC

"With the cost of living, the price of food, petrol, gas and electric. It's dire. There's no money left."

From BBC

Prescription charges in England have also been frozen, and councils will be able to give cash payouts people struggling with the rising cost of living from a Crisis and Resilience Fund.

From BBC

"Especially with the cost of living being really bad, people need more money so they can actually afford the basics," she tells BBC Newsbeat.

From BBC

Williams, a retired civil servant who is undergoing cancer treatment, considers her pension to be "fairly decent," but as the US cost of living has risen, she has had to dip into her savings.

From Barron's