standard of living

American  

noun

1. a grade or level of subsistence and comfort in everyday life enjoyed by a community, class, or individual.

   The well-educated generally have a high standard of living.

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standard of living British  

noun

1. a level of subsistence or material welfare of a community, class, or person

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standard of living Cultural  

1. A term describing the amount of goods and services that an average family or individual views as necessary.

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Etymology

Origin of standard of living

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

They argue consumers are just running in place; higher inflation means their standard of living isn’t getting any better.

From MarketWatch • May 16, 2026

If you haven’t figured it out, the main export of the U.S. is our standard of living.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

During his lifetime, Malthus’s prediction that more people would necessarily lead to a decline in the standard of living proved incorrect.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Here, the standard of living refers to the ability to afford goods and services as well as carry out household tasks and manage finances.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

Why would any sane person lower his or her standard of living just to multiply the number of copies of the Homo sapiens genome?

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari