In April 2022, the general cost of living index in Saudi Arabia was 106.29, implying a 6.29 percent increase of the price level of the market basket of consumer goods and services from 2018. This was an increase in the general consumer price index compared to the previous months.

The average for 2021 based on 165 countries was 79.81 index points. The highest value was in Bermuda: 212.7 index points and the lowest value was in Syria: 33.25 index points. The indicator is available from 2017 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In June 2025, 62 percent of households in Great Britain reported that their cost of living had increased in the previous month, compared with 72 percent in April. Although the share of people reporting a cost of living increase has generally been falling since August 2022, when 91 percent of households reported an increase, the most recent figures indicate that the Cost of Living Crisis is still ongoing for many households in the UK. Crisis ligers even as inflation falls Although various factors have been driving the Cost of Living Crisis in Britain, high inflation has undoubtedly been one of the main factors. After several years of relatively low inflation, the CPI inflation rate shot up from 2021 onwards, hitting a high of 11.1 percent in October 2022. In the months since that peak, inflation has fallen to more usual levels, and was 2.5 percent in December 2024, slightly up from 1.7 percent in September. Since June 2023, wages have also started to grow at a faster rate than inflation, albeit after a long period where average wages were falling relative to overall price increases. Economy continues to be the main issue for voters Ahead of the last UK general election, the economy was consistently selected as the main issue for voters for several months. Although the Conservative Party was seen by voters as the best party for handling the economy before October 2022, this perception collapsed following the market's reaction to Liz Truss' mini-budget. Even after changing their leader from Truss to Rishi Sunak, the Conservatives continued to fall in the polls, and would go onto lose the election decisively. Since the election, the economy remains the most important issue in the UK, although it was only slightly ahead of immigration and health as of January 2025.

West Virginia and Kansas had the lowest cost of living across all U.S. states, with composite costs being half of those found in Hawaii. This was according to a composite index that compares prices for various goods and services on a state-by-state basis. In West Virginia, the cost of living index amounted to **** — well below the national benchmark of 100. Virginia— which had an index value of ***** — was only slightly above that benchmark. Expensive places to live included Hawaii, Massachusetts, and California. Housing costs in the U.S. Housing is usually the highest expense in a household’s budget. In 2023, the average house sold for approximately ******* U.S. dollars, but house prices in the Northeast and West regions were significantly higher. Conversely, the South had some of the least expensive housing. In West Virginia, Mississippi, and Louisiana, the median price of the typical single-family home was less than ******* U.S. dollars. That makes living expenses in these states significantly lower than in states such as Hawaii and California, where housing is much pricier. What other expenses affect the cost of living? Utility costs such as electricity, natural gas, water, and internet also influence the cost of living. In Alaska, Hawaii, and Connecticut, the average monthly utility cost exceeded *** U.S. dollars. That was because of the significantly higher prices for electricity and natural gas in these states.

Argentina: Cost of living index, world average = 100: The latest value from 2021 is 61.38 index points, a decline from 93.54 index points in 2017. In comparison, the world average is 79.81 index points, based on data from 165 countries. Historically, the average for Argentina from 2017 to 2021 is 77.46 index points. The minimum value, 61.38 index points, was reached in 2021 while the maximum of 93.54 index points was recorded in 2017.

Guinea: Cost of living index, world average = 100: The latest value from 2021 is 47.59 index points, a decline from 50.48 index points in 2017. In comparison, the world average is 79.81 index points, based on data from 165 countries. Historically, the average for Guinea from 2017 to 2021 is 49.04 index points. The minimum value, 47.59 index points, was reached in 2021 while the maximum of 50.48 index points was recorded in 2017.

According to a survey among Chinese consumers in December 2021, 21 percent of the respondents confirmed that they spent more on housing compared to six months ago, significantly lower than the global average of 51 percent. In comparison, 70 percent of Chinese respondents didn't perceive price changes regarding housing costs.

Azerbaijan: Cost of living index, world average = 100: The latest value from 2021 is 39.43 index points, a decline from 40.56 index points in 2017. In comparison, the world average is 79.81 index points, based on data from 165 countries. Historically, the average for Azerbaijan from 2017 to 2021 is 40 index points. The minimum value, 39.43 index points, was reached in 2021 while the maximum of 40.56 index points was recorded in 2017.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

Background:
A household food consumption and expenditure survey has been conducted each year in Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland) since 1940. At that time the National Food Survey (NFS) covered a sample drawn solely from urban working-class households, but this was extended to a fully demographically representative sample in 1950. From 1957 onwards the Family Expenditure Survey (FES) provided information on all household expenditure patterns including food expenditure, with the NFS providing more detailed information on food consumption and expenditure. The NFS was extended to cover Northern Ireland from 1996 onwards. In April 2001 these surveys were combined to form the Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS), which completely replaced both series. From January 2008, the EFS became known as the Living Costs and Food (LCF) module of the Integrated Household Survey (IHS). As a consequence of this change, the questionnaire was altered to accommodate the insertion of a core set of questions, common to all of the separate modules which together comprised the IHS. Some of these core questions are simply questions which were previously asked in the same or a similar format on all of the IHS component surveys. For further information on the LCF questionnaire, see Volume A of the LCF 2008 User Guide, held with SN 6385. Further information about the LCF, including links to published reports based on the survey, may be found by searching for 'Living Costs and Food Survey' on the ONS website. Further information on the NFS and Living Costs and Food Module of the IHS can be found by searching for 'Family Food' on the GOV.UK website.

History:
The LCF (then EFS) was the result of more than two years' development work to bring together the FES and NFS; both survey series were well-established and important sources of information for government and the wider community, and had charted changes and patterns in spending and food consumption since the 1950s. Whilst the NFS and FES series are now finished, users should note that previous data from both series are still available from the UK Data Archive, under GNs 33071 (NFS) and 33057 (FES).

Purpose of the LCF
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has overall project management and financial responsibility for the LCF, while the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) sponsors the food data element. As with the FES and NFS, the LCF continues to be primarily used to provide information for the Retail Prices Index, National Accounts estimates of household expenditure, analysis of the effect of taxes and benefits, and trends in nutrition. The results are multi-purpose, however, providing an invaluable supply of economic and social data. The merger of the two surveys also brings benefits for users, as a single survey on food expenditure removes the difficulties of reconciling data from two sources.

Design and methodology The design of the LCF is based on the old FES, although the use of new processing software by the data creators has resulted in a dataset which differs from the previous structure. The most significant change in terms of reporting expenditure, however, is the introduction of the European Standard Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose (COICOP), in place of the codes previously used. An additional level of hierarchy has been developed to improve the mapping to the previous codes. The LCF was conducted on a financial year basis from 2001, then moved to a calendar year basis from January 2006 (to complement the IHS) until 2015-16, when the financial year survey was reinstated at the request of users. Therefore, whilst SN 5688 covers April 2005 - March 2006, SN 5986 covers January-December 2006. Subsequent years cover January-December until 2014. SN 8210 returns to the financial year survey and currently covers April 2015 - March 2016.

Northern Ireland sample
Users should note that, due to funding constraints, from January 2010 the Northern Ireland (NI) sample used for the LCF was reduced to a sample proportionate to the NI population relative to the UK.

Family Food database:
'Family Food' is an annual publication which provides detailed statistical information on purchased quantities, expenditure and nutrient intakes derived from both household and eating out food and drink. Data is collected for a sample of households in the United Kingdom using self-reported diaries of all purchases, including food eaten out, over a two week period. Where possible quantities are recorded in the diaries but otherwise estimated. Energy and nutrient intakes are calculated using standard nutrient composition data for each of some 500 types of food. Current estimates are based on data collected in the Family Food...

In October 2024, approximately 39 percent of people in the Republic of Ireland thought that inflation / the rising cost of living was one the two most important issues facing the country. This was down from 65 percent in July 2022, and 55 percent in November 2023.

In 2023, Thailand had a cost of living index score of 40.7, indicating a slight decrease compared to the previous year. In the Asia Pacific region, Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, had the highest cost of living index in that year.

Russia Living Cost: Average per Month: Annual data was reported at 14,375.000 RUB in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 12,654.000 RUB for 2022. Russia Living Cost: Average per Month: Annual data is updated yearly, averaging 12,654.000 RUB from Dec 2021 (Median) to 2023, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14,375.000 RUB in 2023 and a record low of 11,653.000 RUB in 2021. Russia Living Cost: Average per Month: Annual data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Household Survey – Table RU.HF001: Living Cost.

Characteristics of sampled households in the Living Costs and Food Survey.

Grenada: Cost of living index, world average = 100: The latest value from 2021 is 99.6 index points, an increase from 95.54 index points in 2017. In comparison, the world average is 79.81 index points, based on data from 165 countries. Historically, the average for Grenada from 2017 to 2021 is 97.57 index points. The minimum value, 95.54 index points, was reached in 2017 while the maximum of 99.6 index points was recorded in 2021.

Inflation is generally defined as the continued increase in the average prices of goods and services in a given region. Following the extremely high global inflation experienced in the 1980s and 1990s, global inflation has been relatively stable since the turn of the millennium, usually hovering between three and five percent per year. There was a sharp increase in 2008 due to the global financial crisis now known as the Great Recession, but inflation was fairly stable throughout the 2010s, before the current inflation crisis began in 2021. Recent years Despite the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the global inflation rate fell to 3.26 percent in the pandemic's first year, before rising to 4.66 percent in 2021. This increase came as the impact of supply chain delays began to take more of an effect on consumer prices, before the Russia-Ukraine war exacerbated this further. A series of compounding issues such as rising energy and food prices, fiscal instability in the wake of the pandemic, and consumer insecurity have created a new global recession, and global inflation in 2024 is estimated to have reached 5.76 percent. This is the highest annual increase in inflation since 1996. Venezuela Venezuela is the country with the highest individual inflation rate in the world, forecast at around 200 percent in 2022. While this is figure is over 100 times larger than the global average in most years, it actually marks a decrease in Venezuela's inflation rate, which had peaked at over 65,000 percent in 2018. Between 2016 and 2021, Venezuela experienced hyperinflation due to the government's excessive spending and printing of money in an attempt to curve its already-high inflation rate, and the wave of migrants that left the country resulted in one of the largest refugee crises in recent years. In addition to its economic problems, political instability and foreign sanctions pose further long-term problems for Venezuela. While hyperinflation may be coming to an end, it remains to be seen how much of an impact this will have on the economy, how living standards will change, and how many refugees may return in the coming years.

Abstract

The Consumer price surveys primarily provide the following: Data on CPI in Palestine covering the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem J1 for major and sub groups of expenditure. Statistics needed for decision-makers, planners and those who are interested in the national economy. Contribution to the preparation of quarterly and annual national accounts data.

Consumer Prices and indices are used for a wide range of purposes, the most important of which are as follows: Adjustment of wages, government subsidies and social security benefits to compensate in part or in full for the changes in living costs. To provide an index to measure the price inflation of the entire household sector, which is used to eliminate the inflation impact of the components of the final consumption expenditure of households in national accounts and to dispose of the impact of price changes from income and national groups. Price index numbers are widely used to measure inflation rates and economic recession. Price indices are used by the public as a guide for the family with regard to its budget and its constituent items. Price indices are used to monitor changes in the prices of the goods traded in the market and the consequent position of price trends, market conditions and living costs. However, the price index does not reflect other factors affecting the cost of living, e.g. the quality and quantity of purchased goods. Therefore, it is only one of many indicators used to assess living costs. It is used as a direct method to identify the purchasing power of money, where the purchasing power of money is inversely proportional to the price index.

Geographic coverage

Palestine West Bank Gaza Strip Jerusalem

Analysis unit

The target population for the CPI survey is the shops and retail markets such as grocery stores, supermarkets, clothing shops, restaurants, public service institutions, private schools and doctors.

Universe

The target population for the CPI survey is the shops and retail markets such as grocery stores, supermarkets, clothing shops, restaurants, public service institutions, private schools and doctors.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

A non-probability purposive sample of sources from which the prices of different goods and services are collected was updated based on the establishment census 2017, in a manner that achieves full coverage of all goods and services that fall within the Palestinian consumer system. These sources were selected based on the availability of the goods within them. It is worth mentioning that the sample of sources was selected from the main cities inside Palestine: Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, Qalqiliya, Ramallah, Al-Bireh, Jericho, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron, Gaza, Jabalia, Dier Al-Balah, Nusseirat, Khan Yunis and Rafah. The selection of these sources was considered to be representative of the variation that can occur in the prices collected from the various sources. The number of goods and services included in the CPI is approximately 730 commodities, whose prices were collected from 3,200 sources. (COICOP) classification is used for consumer data as recommended by the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA-2008).

Sampling deviation

Not apply

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Research instrument

A tablet-supported electronic form was designed for price surveys to be used by the field teams in collecting data from different governorates, with the exception of Jerusalem J1. The electronic form is supported with GIS, and GPS mapping technique that allow the field workers to locate the outlets exactly on the map and the administrative staff to manage the field remotely. The electronic questionnaire is divided into a number of screens, namely: First screen: shows the metadata for the data source, governorate name, governorate code, source code, source name, full source address, and phone number. Second screen: shows the source interview result, which is either completed, temporarily paused or permanently closed. It also shows the change activity as incomplete or rejected with the explanation for the reason of rejection. Third screen: shows the item code, item name, item unit, item price, product availability, and reason for unavailability. Fourth screen: checks the price data of the related source and verifies their validity through the auditing rules, which was designed specifically for the price programs. Fifth screen: saves and sends data through (VPN-Connection) and (WI-FI technology).

In case of the Jerusalem J1 Governorate, a paper form has been designed to collect the price data so that the form in the top part contains the metadata of the data source and in the lower section contains the price data for the source collected. After that, the data are entered into the price program database.

Cleaning operations

The price survey forms were already encoded by the project management depending on the specific international statistical classification of each survey. After the researcher collected the price data and sent them electronically, the data was reviewed and audited by the project management. Achievement reports were reviewed on a daily and weekly basis. Also, the detailed price reports at data source levels were checked and reviewed on a daily basis by the project management. If there were any notes, the researcher was consulted in order to verify the data and call the owner in order to correct or confirm the information.

At the end of the data collection process in all governorates, the data will be edited using the following process: Logical revision of prices by comparing the prices of goods and services with others from different sources and other governorates. Whenever a mistake is detected, it should be returned to the field for correction. Mathematical revision of the average prices for items in governorates and the general average in all governorates. Field revision of prices through selecting a sample of the prices collected from the items.

Response rate

Not apply

Sampling error estimates

The findings of the survey may be affected by sampling errors due to the use of samples in conducting the survey rather than total enumeration of the units of the target population, which increases the chances of variances between the actual values we expect to obtain from the data if we had conducted the survey using total enumeration. The computation of differences between the most important key goods showed that the variation of these goods differs due to the specialty of each survey. For example, for the CPI, the variation between its goods was very low, except in some cases such as banana, tomato, and cucumber goods that had a high coefficient of variation during 2019 due to the high oscillation in their prices. The variance of the key goods in the computed and disseminated CPI survey that was carried out on the Palestine level was for reasons related to sample design and variance calculation of different indicators since there was a difficulty in the dissemination of results by governorates due to lack of weights. Non-sampling errors are probable at all stages of data collection or data entry. Non-sampling errors include: Non-response errors: the selected sources demonstrated a significant cooperation with interviewers; so, there wasn't any case of non-response reported during 2019. Response errors (respondent), interviewing errors (interviewer), and data entry errors: to avoid these types of errors and reduce their effect to a minimum, project managers adopted a number of procedures, including the following: More than one visit was made to every source to explain the objectives of the survey and emphasize the confidentiality of the data. The visits to data sources contributed to empowering relations, cooperation, and the verification of data accuracy. Interviewer errors: a number of procedures were taken to ensure data accuracy throughout the process of field data compilation: Interviewers were selected based on educational qualification, competence, and assessment. Interviewers were trained theoretically and practically on the questionnaire. Meetings were held to remind interviewers of instructions. In addition, explanatory notes were supplied with the surveys. A number of procedures were taken to verify data quality and consistency and ensure data accuracy for the data collected by a questioner throughout processing and data entry (knowing that data collected through paper questionnaires did not exceed 5%): Data entry staff was selected from among specialists in computer programming and were fully trained on the entry programs. Data verification was carried out for 10% of the entered questionnaires to ensure that data entry staff had entered data correctly and in accordance with the provisions of the questionnaire. The result of the verification was consistent with the original data to a degree of 100%. The files of the entered data were received, examined, and reviewed by project managers before findings were extracted. Project managers carried out many checks on data logic and coherence, such as comparing the data of the current month with that of the previous month, and comparing the data of sources and between governorates. Data collected by tablet devices were checked for consistency and accuracy by applying rules at item level to be checked.

Data appraisal

Other technical procedures to improve data quality: Seasonal adjustment processes

Living Cost: Average per Month: Pensioners: Annual data was reported at 12,363.000 RUB in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 10,882.000 RUB for 2022. Living Cost: Average per Month: Pensioners: Annual data is updated yearly, averaging 10,882.000 RUB from Dec 2021 (Median) to 2023, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12,363.000 RUB in 2023 and a record low of 10,022.000 RUB in 2021. Living Cost: Average per Month: Pensioners: Annual data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Household Survey – Table RU.HF003: Living Cost: Pensioner.

How different groups in the population have been affected by an increase in their cost of living, using data from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, November 2021 to March 2022.