Zurich, Lausanne, and Geneva were ranked as the most expensive cities worldwide with indices of 103.8, 100.9, and 100.7. Almost half of the 11 most expensive cities were in Switzerland.

In January 2025, gasoline prices were around 0.2 percent lower than in January 2024. The data represents city averages in the United States. The defined base period is: 1982-84=100. CPI is defined by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics as "a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services". It is based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, fuels, transportation fares, charges for doctors’ and dentists’ services, drugs, and other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. The annual inflation rate in the U.S. since 1990 can be accessed here.

In 2024, the consumer price index (CPI) was 315.61. Data represents U.S. city averages. The monthly inflation rate for the United States can be found here. United States urban Consumer Price Index (CPI) The U.S. Consumer Price Index is a measure of change in the price of consumer goods and services purchased by households. The CPI is defined by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics as "a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services." To calculate the CPI, the Bureau of Labor Statistics considers the price of goods and services from various categories: housing, transportation, apparel, food & beverage, medical care, recreation, education and other/uncategorized. The CPI is a useful measure, as it indicates how the cost of urban living in the United States has changed over time, compared to a base period. CPI is also used to calculate inflation, or change in the purchasing power of money. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. urban CPI has been rising steadily since 1992. As of 2023, the CPI was 304.7, up from 233 ten years earlier and up from 184 twenty years earlier. This indicates the extent to which, compared to a base period 1982-1984 = 100, the price of various goods and services has risen.

Around 64 percent of U.S. consumers spend less on non-essentials amidst the ongoing cost of living crisis in 2023. This is according to a survey conducted by We are Social and Statista Q, which shows that rising inflation rates have caused around a similar percentage of customers to pay more attention to bargains, good deals, or offers (when going shopping). Furthermore, around 39 percent of U.S. consumers do not go out for dinner/lunch anymore to deal with the situation.

In September 2025, prices had increased by three percent compared to September 2024, according to the 12-month percentage change in the consumer price index — the monthly inflation rate for goods and services in the United States. The data represents U.S. city averages. In economics, the inflation rate is a measure of the change in price level over time. The rate of decrease in the purchasing power of money is approximately equal. A projection of the annual U.S. inflation rate can be accessed here and the actual annual inflation rate since 1990 can be accessed here. InflationOne of the most important economic indicators is the development of the Consumer Price Index in a country. The change in this price level of goods and services is defined as the rate of inflation. The inflationary situation in the United States had been relatively severe in 2022 due to global events relating to COVID-19, supply chain restraints, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. More information on U.S. inflation may be found on our dedicated topic page. The annual inflation rate in the United States has increased from 3.2 percent in 2011 to 8.3 percent in 2022. This means that the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar has weakened in recent years. The purchasing power is the extent to which a person has available funds to make purchases. According to the data published by the International Monetary Fund, the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) was about 258.84 in 2020 and is forecasted to grow up to 325.6 by 2027, compared to the base period from 1982 to 1984. The monthly percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for urban consumers in the United States was 0.1 percent in March 2023 compared to the previous month. In 2022, countries all around the world are experienced high levels of inflation. Although Brazil already had an inflation rate of 8.3 percent in 2021, compared to the previous year, while the inflation rate in China stood at 0.85 percent.

According to an April 2023 survey by We Are Social and Statista Q, 40 percent of U.S. consumers feel highly affected by the ongoing cost of living crisis, whereas only 6 percent don't feel affected at all.

In January 2025, the unadjusted consumer price index (CPI) of all items for urban consumers in the United States amounted to about 317.67. The data represents U.S. city averages. The base period was 1982-84=100. The CPI is defined by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics as “a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services”. The annual consumer price index for urban consumers in the U.S. can be accessed here. Consumer Price Index The Consumer Price Index (CPI) began in 1919 under the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is published every month. The CPI for all urban consumers includes urban households in Metropolitan Statistical Areas and regions with over 2,500 inhabitants, as well as non-farm consumers living in rural regions. This index was established in 1978 and includes about 80 percent of the U.S. population. The monthly CPI of urban consumers in the United States increased from 292.3 in May 2022 to 304.13 in 2023. Inflation tends not to impact everyone equally for a variety of reasons, including geography - CPI often differs between regions, with a high of 287.49 in the Western region as of 2021. There are also disparities in inflation between income quartiles, in which inflation is generally felt more heavily by lower income households. The annual CPI in the United States has increased steadily over the past two decades, from 140.3 in 1992 to 292.56 in 2022. A forecast of the CPI expects this positive trend to continue, reaching 325.6 by 2027. As of March 2023, the CPI of the nation’s education had increased by 3.5 percent. Further, in the same month costs of recreation, rent, housing, medical care, and food and beverages, gasoline, and transportation increased. Comparatively, the CPI in Hong Kong reached 103.3 in 2022.

The annual CPI for energy in the United States decreased to 136.17 index points in 2024. Post 2021, the consumer price indices increased in many countries as economies recovered from the coronavirus pandemic, which led to an energy supply shortage in the latter half of the year. The CPI for energy peaked in 2022, but has been declining ever since.

Residential rents in urban areas in the United States have grown faster than the general basket of products and services of the urban population. In 2024, the consumer price index (CPI) for rent of primary residences reached 420 index points, more than 100 index points more than the CPI for all items. The CPI measures the development of prices, with 1984 chosen as a base year. An index value of 400 indicates that rents have quadrupled since 1984.

In 2023, the average annual expenditures of consumer units in the United States totaled to 77,280 U.S. dollars. This is an increase from the previous year, when the average annual expenditures of consumer units totaled to 72,967 U.S. dollars.

In 2023, the average U.S. consumer unit residing in the northeast U.S. spent about 87,445 U.S. dollars, almost twenty thousand dollars more than those living in the south. The average U.S. consumer spending amounted to 77,280 U.S. dollars.

In 2022, U.S. households spent on average around 19.27 percent of their total food-at-home expenditure on fruits and vegetables. U.S. households also spent approximately 9.33 percent of their total food-at-home expenditure on dairy products.

In 2023, the average consumer unit in the United States spent about 9,985 U.S. dollars on food. Americans spent the most on housing, at 25,436 U.S. dollars, reflecting around one third of annual expenditure. The total average U.S. consumer spending amounted to 77,280 U.S. dollars.

From 2020 to 2023, the average annual household food expenditure in the United States increased by almost 37 percent. The average household expenditure in 2020 was about 7,300 U.S. dollars and has since grown to nearly 10,000.

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.

In 2023, a four-person household could be expected to spend about 105,683 U.S. dollars. Interestingly, when there are five or more people in a household, spending declines compared to four-person households. Average annual spending across all consumer units amounted to around 77,280 U.S. dollars.

In 2023, the lowest 20 percent of income consumer units spent about 41.3 percent of their total expenditure on housing. Consumer units belonging to the highest 20 percent of income spent only 29.2 percent on housing. Additionally, those in the highest income quintile spent 17.7 percent of their total expenditure on personal insurance and pensions, while the lowest 20 percent spent only 2.1 percent.

In August 2025, the UK inflation rate for goods was 2.8 percent and 4.7percent for services. Prices for goods accelerated significantly, sharply between 2021 and 2022, before falling in 2023. By comparison, prices for services initially grew at a more moderate rate but have also not fallen as quickly. The overall CPI inflation rate for the UK reached a recent high of 11.1 percent in October 2022 and remained in double figures until April 2023, when it fell to 8.7 percent. As of this month, the UK's inflation rate was 3.6 percent, up from 3.4 percent in the previous month. Sectors driving high inflation In late 2024, communication was the sector with the highest inflation rate, with prices increasing by 6.1 percent as of December 2024. During the recent period of high inflation that eased in 2023, food and energy prices were particular high, with housing and energy inflation far higher than in any other sector, peaking at 26.6 percent towards the end of 2022. High food and energy prices since 2021 have been one of the main causes of the cost of living crisis in the UK, especially for low-income households that spend a higher share of their income on these categories. This is likely one of the factors driving increasing food bank usage in the UK, which saw approximately 3.12 million people use a food bank in 2023/24, compared with 1.9 million just before the COVID-19 pandemic. The global inflation crisis The UK has not been alone in suffering rapid price increases since 2021. After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a series of economic and geopolitical shocks had a dramatic impact on the global economy. A global supply chain crisis failed to meet rising demand in 2021, leading to the beginning of an Inflation Crisis, which was only exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The war directly influenced the prices of food and energy, as both countries were major exporters of important crops. European imports of hydrocarbons from Russia were also steadily reduced throughout 2022 and 2023, resulting in higher energy prices throughout the year.

In response to the cost of living crisis, the government of the United Kingdom announced a series of measures to help households in the country. The most widespread of these packages was a 400 British pound energy bill grant announced in 2022, which was allocated to all households in the country. The measure with the highest overall value was the cost of living payment, which will saw approximately eight million UK households on low income receive 650 pounds in two separate payments in 2022, and a further 900 pounds paid in three installments throughout the 2023/24 financial year.