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 84.8 - well below the national benchmark of 100. Nevada - which had an index value of 100.1 - 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 427,000 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 200,000 U.S. dollars. That makes living costs in these states significantly lower than in states such as Hawaii and California, where housing is much more expensive. 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 500 U.S. dollars. That was because of the significantly higher prices for electricity and natural gas in these states.

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.

Living Cost: Average per Month: NC: Republic of Ingushetia data was reported at 10,353.000 RUB in Dec 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 10,336.000 RUB for Sep 2020. Living Cost: Average per Month: NC: Republic of Ingushetia data is updated quarterly, averaging 4,872.500 RUB from Mar 2001 (Median) to Dec 2020, with 80 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10,571.000 RUB in Jun 2020 and a record low of 1,121.000 RUB in Mar 2001. Living Cost: Average per Month: NC: Republic of Ingushetia 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.

Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita data was reported at 28,620.000 KZT in Oct 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 28,690.000 KZT for Sep 2018. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita data is updated monthly, averaging 13,073.000 KZT from Oct 2000 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 217 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 29,146.000 KZT in Aug 2018 and a record low of 3,983.000 KZT in Oct 2000. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kazakhstan – Table KZ.H012: Cost of Living: Average per Capita.

Living Cost: Average per Month: VR: Samara Region data was reported at 10,962.000 RUB in Dec 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11,163.000 RUB for Sep 2020. Living Cost: Average per Month: VR: Samara Region data is updated quarterly, averaging 6,476.000 RUB from Dec 2001 (Median) to Dec 2020, with 77 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11,163.000 RUB in Sep 2020 and a record low of 1,661.000 RUB in Dec 2001. Living Cost: Average per Month: VR: Samara Region 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.

Living Cost: Average per Month: UF: Sverdlovsk Region data was reported at 10,817.000 RUB in Dec 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11,129.000 RUB for Sep 2020. Living Cost: Average per Month: UF: Sverdlovsk Region data is updated quarterly, averaging 6,527.000 RUB from Dec 2001 (Median) to Dec 2020, with 77 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11,129.000 RUB in Sep 2020 and a record low of 1,703.000 RUB in Dec 2001. Living Cost: Average per Month: UF: Sverdlovsk Region 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.

Living Cost: Average per Month: CF: Ryazan Region data was reported at 10,785.000 RUB in Dec 2020. This stayed constant from the previous number of 10,785.000 RUB for Sep 2020. Living Cost: Average per Month: CF: Ryazan Region data is updated quarterly, averaging 5,785.000 RUB from Mar 2001 (Median) to Dec 2020, with 80 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10,785.000 RUB in Dec 2020 and a record low of 1,187.000 RUB in Mar 2001. Living Cost: Average per Month: CF: Ryazan Region 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.

Alaska, Hawaii, and Connecticut were the states with the highest average monthly utility costs in the United States in 2023. Residents paid about 133.89 U.S. dollars for their electricity bills in Hawaii, while the average monthly bill for natural gas came to 164 U.S. dollars. This was significantly higher than in any other state. Bigger homes have higher utility costs Despite regional variations, single-family homes in the United States have grown bigger in size since 1975. This trend also means that, unless homeowners invest in energy savings measures, they will have to pay more for their utility costs. Which are the most affordable states to live in? According to the cost of living index, the three most affordable states to live in are Mississippi, Kansas, and Oklahoma. At the other end of the scale are Hawaii, District of Columbia, and New York. The index is based on housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services. To buy a median priced home in Kansas City, a prospective home buyer will have to earn an annual salary of about 76,000 U.S. dollars.

In February 2025, 56 percent of households in Great Britain reported that their cost of living had increased in the previous month, compared with 45 percent in late July. 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.

Living Cost: Average per Month: SB: Kemerovo Region data was reported at 10,403.000 RUB in Dec 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 10,780.000 RUB for Sep 2020. Living Cost: Average per Month: SB: Kemerovo Region data is updated quarterly, averaging 5,205.000 RUB from Dec 2001 (Median) to Dec 2020, with 77 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10,780.000 RUB in Sep 2020 and a record low of 1,671.000 RUB in Dec 2001. Living Cost: Average per Month: SB: Kemerovo Region 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.

The average monthly cost for senior housing in the U.S. in 2024 was the highest for memory care and the lowest for independent living facilities. In the fourth quarter of the year, the average monthly cost for independent living housing was 3,269 U.S. dollars. That nearly 550 U.S. dollars (20 percent) higher than in the first quarter of 2019. Senior housing costs also vary vastly across different states.

This statistic shows the monthly average living expenses of college students in China as of June 2018, by expenditure category. The survey results revealed that Chinese college students spent on average 593 yuan per month on non-essentials.

The UK inflation rate was three percent in January 2025, up from 2.5 percent in the previous month, and the fastest rate of inflation since March 2024. Between September 2022 and March 2023, the UK experienced seven months of double-digit inflation, which peaked at 11.1 percent in October 2022. Due to this long period of high inflation, UK consumer prices have increased by over 20 percent in the last three years. As of the most recent month, prices were rising fastest in the communications sector, at 6.1 percent, but were falling in both the furniture and transport sectors, at -0.3 percent and -0.6 percent respectively.
The Cost of Living Crisis High inflation is one of the main factors behind the ongoing Cost of Living Crisis in the UK, which, despite subsiding somewhat in 2024, is still impacting households going into 2025. In December 2024, for example, 56 percent of UK households reported their cost of living was increasing compared with the previous month, up from 45 percent in July, but far lower than at the height of the crisis in 2022. After global energy prices spiraled that year, the UK's energy price cap increased substantially. The cap, which limits what suppliers can charge consumers, reached 3,549 British pounds per year in October 2022, compared with 1,277 pounds a year earlier. Along with soaring food costs, high-energy bills have hit UK households hard, especially lower income ones that spend more of their earnings on housing costs. As a result of these factors, UK households experienced their biggest fall in living standards in decades in 2022/23. Global inflation crisis causes rapid surge in prices The UK's high inflation, and cost of living crisis in 2022 had its origins in the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the initial waves of the virus, global supply chains struggled to meet the renewed demand for goods and services. Food and energy prices, which were already high, increased further in 2022. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 brought an end to the era of cheap gas flowing to European markets from Russia. The war also disrupted global food markets, as both Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of cereal crops. As a result of these factors, inflation surged across Europe and in other parts of the world, but typically declined in 2023, and approached more usual levels by 2024.

Indices of the cost of living

Living Cost: Average per Month: NC: Chechen Republic data was reported at 11,240.000 RUB in Dec 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11,333.000 RUB for Sep 2020. Living Cost: Average per Month: NC: Chechen Republic data is updated quarterly, averaging 6,555.000 RUB from Sep 2003 (Median) to Dec 2020, with 70 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11,333.000 RUB in Sep 2020 and a record low of 2,129.000 RUB in Sep 2003. Living Cost: Average per Month: NC: Chechen Republic 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.

Average Monthly Household Expenditure: Batam Municipality data was reported at 11,983,234.000 IDR in 2018. Average Monthly Household Expenditure: Batam Municipality data is updated yearly, averaging 11,983,234.000 IDR from Dec 2018 (Median) to 2018, with 1 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11,983,234.000 IDR in 2018 and a record low of 11,983,234.000 IDR in 2018. Average Monthly Household Expenditure: Batam Municipality data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Indonesia. The data is categorized under Indonesia Premium Database’s Domestic Trade and Household Survey – Table ID.HB004: Cost of Living Survey (SBH-2018): Average Monthly Household Expenditure: by Cities and Commodities Group.

In January 2025, the Consumer Price Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH) inflation rate of the United Kingdom was 3.9 percent, unchanged from the previous month. The inflation rate fell noticeably after the COVID-19 pandemic, but rose sharply between Spring 2021 and Autumn 2022. After peaking at 9.6 percent in October 2022, CPIH inflation declined throughout 2023 and into 2024, falling to 2.6 percent by September of that year, before increasing again in recent months. Cost of living problems persist into 2025 Although it is likely that the worst of the recent inflation surge may have passed, the issues caused by it look set to linger into 2025 and beyond. While the share of households experiencing living cost rises has fallen from 91 percent in August 2022, to 45 percent in July 2024, this share rose towards the end of the year, with more than half of households reporting rising costs in December. Even with lower inflation, overall consumer prices have already increased by around 20 percent in the last three years, rising to almost 30 percent for food prices, which lower income households typically spend more of their income on. The significant increase in people relying on food banks across the UK, is evidence of the magnitude of this problem, with approximately 3.12 million people using food banks in 2023/24. Other measure of inflation While the CPIH inflation rate displayed here is the preferred index of the UK's Office of National Statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is often more prominently featured in the media in general. An older index, the Retail Price Index (RPI) is also still used by the government to calculate certain taxes, and rail fare rises. Other metrics include the core inflation rate, which measures prices increases without the volatility of food and energy costs, while price increases in goods and services can also be tracked separately. The inflation rate of individual sectors can also be measured, and as of December 2024, prices were rising fastest in the communications sector, at 6.1 percent, with costs falling in the transport and furniture sectors.

The survey charted the housing conditions of higher education students in Tampere, Finland. The survey was divided into three main themes: current housing situation, housing preferences, and housing situation during studies. Regarding housing situation at the time of the survey, the questions surveyed type of housing the respondents lived in (housing type and housing tenure), household composition (number of roommates, children), size of housing (number of rooms and surface area), housing costs, distance to own university and city centre, travel time from home to university, and satisfaction with and opinions on housing. Concerning housing preferences, the respondents were asked which type of housing they would have preferred to live in, whether they were looking for new accommodation and what kind, what their attitude towards student housing was, how important they thought different things when looking for accommodation, in which neighbourhoods they would have wanted to live during their studies, how much they would have been prepared to pay for housing of their preference per month, and how much they thought reasonable housing costs for a student would be per month. Finally, with regard to housing situation during studies, the respondents were asked whether they had first moved out of their parents' house for studies, whether they had had diffculties in finding accommodation at the beginning of studies, how many different places and student apartments they had lived in during studies, how many months in total they had lived in student apartments, and, if they had moved house, reasons for moving. Background variables included the respondent's employment situation, marital status, disposable income per month, expected year of graduation, education level, and education and occupations of parents. Furthermore, the data contain background variables based on register data. These include the respondent's higher learning institution, age, gender, nationality, municipality of domicile and place of residence, the year R began their studies, faculty, and degree.

Living Cost: Average per Month: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data was reported at 15,416.000 RUB in Dec 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 15,645.000 RUB for Sep 2020. Living Cost: Average per Month: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region data is updated quarterly, averaging 7,268.000 RUB from Jun 2001 (Median) to Dec 2020, with 79 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15,733.000 RUB in Jun 2020 and a record low of 1,683.000 RUB in Jun 2001. Living Cost: Average per Month: FE: Jewish Autonomous Region 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.

According to a survey conducted in November 2021 among locals of the 47 prefectures in Japan, residents in Niigata Prefecture spend an average of 14.1 thousand Japanese yen per month on personal purchases, making Niigata the prefecture with the lowest monthly expenditure per person in Japan. The survey revealed that the national average stood at about 19.46 thousand yen, with the average personal allowances of locals in Tokyo exceeding the national average by more than 10 thousand yen.