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

Research by the Higher Education Policy Institute published in May 2024 suggested maintenance loans in England typically only covered about half the cost of living, and even less for students in London.

From BBC

The current wave of protests began after shopkeepers in Tehran went on strike over the rising cost of living and the depreciating value of the currency.

From BBC

The spokesperson said the government was working to get bills and inflation down, but acknowledged there was still more to do to tackle the cost of living.

From BBC

A Treasury spokesperson said in a separate statement there was "more to do" for boosting growth and "keeping inflation low and stable, tackling the cost of living and bringing our borrowing costs down".

From Barron's

She said the cost of living had increased demand for the service, which also has washing machines, tumble dryers, and a shower.

From BBC