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

A bad stretch at the wrong time can affect how long savings will last and reduce the standard of living a retiree can sustain.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 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

After doing the math, she realized that maintaining the standard of living she enjoyed with her husband required a drastic change: returning to work, significantly cutting expenses for herself and her children, or both.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026

While that is undeniably an important factor, we know other expats here in Cuenca sharing a similar standard of living whose budgets far exceed ours.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 2, 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