cost of living

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.

cost of living

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

cost of living

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cost of living¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

The scheme, which was first held in 2024, was developed to reduce the environmental impact of single use and help families with the cost of living, East Riding of Yorkshire Council said.

Read more on BBC

A persistent housing crisis in the densely population Netherlands is also high on voter concerns, plus the high cost of living.

Read more on Barron's

Since the shutdown started, the BLS has recalled some of its staff External link to help produce the consumer price index data that the Social Security Administration needs to make its cost of living adjustments.

Read more on Barron's

He said that UK households "were being squeezed from all sides", adding: "Since taking office, Labour have allowed the cost of living to rise, debt to balloon and business confidence to collapse to record lows."

Read more on BBC

Higher costs of living, competition, tariffs and an online ecosystem that has sped up trend cycles have weighed on beauty-industry heavyweights.

Read more on MarketWatch