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.

As of September 2024, Mumbai had the highest cost of living among other cities in the country, with an index value of 26.5. Gurgaon, a satellite city of Delhi and part of the National Capital Region (NCR) followed it with an index value of 25.1.  What is cost of living? The cost of living varies depending on geographical regions and factors that affect the cost of living in an area include housing, food, utilities, clothing, childcare, and fuel among others. The cost of living is calculated based on different measures such as the consumer price index (CPI), living cost indexes, and wage price index. CPI refers to the change in the value of consumer goods and services. The wage price index, on the other hand, measures the change in labor services prices due to market pressures. Lastly, the living cost indexes calculate the impact of changing costs on different households. The relationship between wages and costs determines affordability and shifts in the cost of living. Mumbai tops the list Mumbai usually tops the list of most expensive cities in India. As the financial and entertainment hub of the country, Mumbai offers wide opportunities and attracts talent from all over the country. It is the second-largest city in India and has one of the most expensive real estates in the world.

The ACCRA Cost of Living Index (COLI) is a measure of living cost differences among urban areas compiled by the Council for Community and Economic Research. Conducted quarterly, the index compares the price of goods and services among approximately 300 communities in the United States and Canada. This Microsoft Excel file contains the average prices of goods and services published in the ACCRA Cost of Living Index since 1990.

In 2023, the U.S. Consumer Price Index was 309.42, and is projected to increase to 352.27 by 2029. The base period was 1982-84. The monthly CPI for all urban consumers in the U.S. can be accessed here. After a time of high inflation, the U.S. inflation rateis projected fall to two percent by 2027. United States Consumer Price Index ForecastIt is projected that the CPI will continue to rise year over year, reaching 325.6 in 2027. The Consumer Price Index of all urban consumers in previous years was lower, and has risen every year since 1992, except in 2009, when the CPI went from 215.30 in 2008 to 214.54 in 2009. The monthly unadjusted Consumer Price Index was 296.17 for the month of August in 2022. The U.S. CPI measures changes in the price of consumer goods and services purchased by households and is thought to reflect inflation in the U.S. as well as the health of the economy. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates the CPI and defines it 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 BLS records the price of thousands of goods and services month by month. They consider goods and services within eight main categories: food and beverage, housing, apparel, transportation, medical care, recreation, education, and other goods and services. They aggregate the data collected in order to compare how much it would cost a consumer to buy the same market basket of goods and services within one month or one year compared with the previous month or year. Given that the CPI is used to calculate U.S. inflation, the CPI influences the annual adjustments of many financial institutions in the United States, both private and public. Wages, social security payments, and pensions are all affected by the CPI.

VITAL SIGNS INDICATOR Poverty (EQ5)

FULL MEASURE NAME The share of the population living in households that earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty limit

LAST UPDATED December 2018

DESCRIPTION Poverty refers to the share of the population living in households that earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty limit, which varies based on the number of individuals in a given household. It reflects the number of individuals who are economically struggling due to low household income levels.

DATA SOURCE U.S Census Bureau: Decennial Census http://www.nhgis.org (1980-1990) http://factfinder2.census.gov (2000)

U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey Form C17002 (2006-2017) http://api.census.gov

METHODOLOGY NOTES (across all datasets for this indicator) The U.S. Census Bureau defines a national poverty level (or household income) that varies by household size, number of children in a household, and age of householder. The national poverty level does not vary geographically even though cost of living is different across the United States. For the Bay Area, where cost of living is high and incomes are correspondingly high, an appropriate poverty level is 200% of poverty or twice the national poverty level, consistent with what was used for past equity work at MTC and ABAG. For comparison, however, both the national and 200% poverty levels are presented.

For Vital Signs, the poverty rate is defined as the number of people (including children) living below twice the poverty level divided by the number of people for whom poverty status is determined. Poverty rates do not include unrelated individuals below 15 years old or people who live in the following: institutionalized group quarters, college dormitories, military barracks, and situations without conventional housing. The household income definitions for poverty change each year to reflect inflation. The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps). For the national poverty level definitions by year, see: https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/threshld/index.html For an explanation on how the Census Bureau measures poverty, see: https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/about/overview/measure.html

For the American Community Survey datasets, 1-year data was used for region, county, and metro areas whereas 5-year rolling average data was used for city and census tract.

To be consistent across metropolitan areas, the poverty definition for non-Bay Area metros is twice the national poverty level. Data were not adjusted for varying income and cost of living levels across the metropolitan areas.

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.

In 2025, Luxembourg reached the highest score in the quality of life index in Europe, with 220 points. In second place, The Netherlands registered 211 points. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Albania and Ukraine registered the lowest quality of life across Europe with 104 and 115 points respectively. The Quality of Life Index (where a higher score indicates a higher quality of life) is an estimation of overall quality of life, calculated using an empirical formula. This formula considers various factors, including the purchasing power index, pollution index, house price-to-income ratio, cost of living index, safety index, health care index, traffic commute time index, and climate index.

Abstract

The goal of the Household Budget Survey (HBS) is to gather data about the revenues, expenditures and consumption of the households. Except that, the Survey gathers data about certain important data of the living standards (housing conditions, heating of the apartment-house, supply with permanent consumption goods), as well as basic data about the demographic, economic and sociological characteristics of the households.

The gathered data, using the relevant methods, give the opportunity to realize the level and structure of the personal consumption in the households in general and especially by certain socio-economic categories. The distribution of the households in socio-economic categories enables to realize the existing differences in the level and structure of the personal consumption of the households as a significant material component of the living standards of the population.

Additionally, the data of the survey shall be used for drawing up the weights for calculation of the cost of living index, calculation of the personal consumption balance etc. The data of the survey shall also enable to calculate the poverty lines by household types which are bases for the cash benefits and social assistance.

Geographic coverage

The Household Budget Survey is implemented on the entire territory of the Republic of Macedonia.

Analysis unit

Households and Individuals

Universe

All household members

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The selection framework has been divided in 16 stratums. The stratification is territorial according to the eight NUTSZ regions and according to types (urban and other). The census circles and households were randomly selected within these stratums. Using this methodology, 5040 households have been randomly selected and they are distributed throughout the entire territory of the Republic of Macedonia.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

At 8.07 U.S. dollars, Switzerland has the most expensive Big Macs in the world, according to the July 2024 Big Mac index. Concurrently, the cost of a Big Mac was 5.69 dollars in the U.S., and 6.06 U.S. dollars in the Euro area. What is the Big Mac index? The Big Mac index, published by The Economist, is a novel way of measuring whether the market exchange rates for different countries’ currencies are overvalued or undervalued. It does this by measuring each currency against a common standard – the Big Mac hamburger sold by McDonald’s restaurants all over the world. Twice a year the Economist converts the average national price of a Big Mac into U.S. dollars using the exchange rate at that point in time. As a Big Mac is a completely standardized product across the world, the argument goes that it should have the same relative cost in every country. Differences in the cost of a Big Mac expressed as U.S. dollars therefore reflect differences in the purchasing power of each currency. Is the Big Mac index a good measure of purchasing power parity? Purchasing power parity (PPP) is the idea that items should cost the same in different countries, based on the exchange rate at that time. This relationship does not hold in practice. Factors like tax rates, wage regulations, whether components need to be imported, and the level of market competition all contribute to price variations between countries. The Big Mac index does measure this basic point – that one U.S. dollar can buy more in some countries than others. There are more accurate ways to measure differences in PPP though, which convert a larger range of products into their dollar price. Adjusting for PPP can have a massive effect on how we understand a country’s economy. The country with the largest GDP adjusted for PPP is China, but when looking at the unadjusted GDP of different countries, the U.S. has the largest economy.

Monthly indexes and percentage changes for major components and special aggregates of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), not seasonally adjusted, for Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit. Data are presented for the corresponding month of the previous year, the previous month and the current month. The base year for the index is 2002=100.

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 analysis of real wages has a long tradition in Germany. The focus of the acquisition is on company wages, on wages of certain branches or for categories of workers as well as on the investigation of long term aggregated nominal and real wages. The study of Ashok V. Desai on the development of real wages in the German Reich between 1871 and 1913 is an important contribution to historical research on wages. The study is innovative and methodically on an exemplary level. But mainly responsible for the upswing in the historical research on wages in the 50s and 60s is an extraordinary publication by Jürgen Kuczynski. “The new historical research on wages in Germany is insolubly connected with Jürgen Kuczynski. In his broad researches the history of wages is only one section among many other themes but it is a very important one can be seen as the core piece of his work.” (Kaufhold, K.H., 1987: Forschungen zur deutschen Preis- und Lohngeschichte (seit 1930). In: Historia Socialis et Oeconomica. Festschrift für Wolfgang Zorn zum 65. Geburtstag. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, S, 83). In his first study on long series on nominal and real wages in Germany he used a broad empirical basis and encouraged more research in this area. His weaknesses are methodological inconsistencies and a restricted representativeness. For example he includes tariff wages but also actually paid wages. Some important industries like food or textile industry are not taken into account. Wages in agriculture were often estimated but without enough material necessary for a good estimation. Wages for work at home are not regraded in the calculation of the index. The weight of cities in the calculation of the index is relatively too high compared to rural regions and therefor it leaks regional representativeness. In his study Desai uses the reports of trade associations for the Reich´s insurance office on the persons who are insured in the accident insurance and their wages as a basis for the calculation of annual nominal average wages. Desais focusses on industrial wages because only for them long term series are available. As the insurance premiums are calculated according to the income level the documents of the trade associations can be used for the calculation of an index for wages development. Desais study is also very useful regarding the calculation of a new index for costs of living based the model of a typical worker family. „F. Grumbach and H. König have used the same sources to derive indices of industrial earnings. The main differences between their series and ours are: (a) we have adopted the industrial classification followed by the Reichsversicherungsamt, while Grumbach and König have made larger industrial groups, (b) we have calculated average annual earnings, while they claim to have calculated average daily earnings (i.e. to have adjusted the annual figures for the average number of days worked per year per worker), and (c) they have failed to correct distortions in the original data” (Desai, A.V., 1968: Real Wages in Germany 1871–1913. Oxford. Clarendon Press, S. 4).

Register of tables in HISTAT: A. Overviews A.1 Overview: Different estimations of the real and nominal gross wages in the German Reich, index 1913 = 100 (1871-1913) A.2 Overview: Development of costs of living, index 1913 = 100 (1871-1913) A.3 Overview: Development of nominal and real wages, index 1913=100 (1844-1937)

D. Study by Ashok V. Desai D.01 Different estimations of real wages in the German Reich, index 1895 = 100 (1871-1913) D.02 Annual average wage (1871-1886) D.03 Annual gross wages in chosen production segments (1887-1913) D.04 Annual average wage in industry, transportation and trade (1871-1913) D.05 Construction of an index for costs of living, 1895 = 100 (1871-1913) D.06 Real wages, in constant prices from 1895 (1871-1913) D.07 Wheat prices and prices for wheat bread (1872-1913) D.08 Rye prices and prices for rye bread (1872-1913) D.09 Average export prices by product groups, index 1895 = 100 (1872-1913) D.10 Average import prices by product groups, index 1895 = 100 (1872-1913) D.11 Average export prices, import prices and terms of trade, index 1895 = 100 (1872-1913)

O. Study by Thomas J. Orsagh O. Adjusted indices for costs of living and real wages after Orsgah, index 1913 = 100 (1871-1913)

Abstract

The goal of the Household Budget Survey (HBS) is to gather data about the revenues, expenditures and consumption of the households. Except that, the Survey gathers data about certain important data of the living standards (housing conditions, heating of the apartment-house, supply with permanent consumption goods), as well as basic data about the demographic, economic and sociological characteristics of the households.

The gathered data, using the relevant methods, give the opportunity to realize the level and structure of the personal consumption in the households in general and especially by certain socio-economic categories. The distribution of the households in socio-economic categories enables to realize the existing differences in the level and structure of the personal consumption of the households as a significant material component of the living standards of the population.

Additionally, the data of the survey shall be used for drawing up the weights for calculation of the cost of living index, calculation of the personal consumption balance etc. The data of the survey shall also enable to calculate the poverty lines by household types which are bases for the cash benefits and social assistance.

Geographic coverage

The household consumption survey is conducted on the entire territory of the Republic of Macedonia FYR.

Analysis unit

Households and Individuals

Universe

All household members.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The survey is conducted on sample of 5040 households on the whole territory of the country, which is about 1% of the total number of households in the country. The frame of the selection are all enumeration districts that contain above 20 households, from Census 2002. The sample is two-stage stratified. Primary sampling units are the enumeration districts and secondary sampling units are the adresses of households.

For the needs of the sample stratification on two levels with the total 16 strata was made: - Eight geographical regions, NUTS 3; - Two contingents- urban and rural areas.

In the sample were 210 enumeration districts. The allocation of the sample in the stratas for the first stage is proportionally to the number of households in the region, and in the second stage for each selected enumeration district each quarter 6 households were selected randomly with equal probability. Each quarter were interviewed 1260 households, or 5040 different households on annual level.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The survey is conducted through 4 basic forms: 1. Form APD-1 (15-day Diary) 2. Form APD-2 (Questionnaire-replacement for a Diary) 3. Form APD-3 (Household Questionnaire) 4. Form APD-4 (Non-response Questionnaire)

This table contains data on the living wage and the percent of families with incomes below the living wage for California, its counties, regions and cities/towns. Living wage is the wage needed to cover basic family expenses (basic needs budget) plus all relevant taxes; it does not include publicly provided income or housing assistance. The percent of families below the living wage was calculated using data from the Living Wage Calculator and the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. The table is part of a series of indicators in the Healthy Communities Data and Indicators Project of the Office of Health Equity. The living wage is the wage or annual income that covers the cost of the bare necessities of life for a worker and his/her family. These necessities include housing, transportation, food, childcare, health care, and payment of taxes. Low income populations and non-white race/ethnic have disproportionately lower wages, poorer housing, and higher levels of food insecurity. More information about the data table and a data dictionary can be found in the About/Attachments section.

CPIH is the most comprehensive measure of inflation. It extends CPI to include a measure of the costs associated with owning, maintaining and living in one's own home, known as owner occupiers' housing costs (OOH), along with council tax. This dataset provides CPIH time series (2005 to latest published month), allowing users to customise their own selection, view or download.

Consumer Price Index CPI in Egypt increased to 239.20 points in January from 235.60 points in December of 2024. This dataset provides - Egypt Consumer Price Index (CPI) - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The graph shows the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in China as of December 2024, by sector and area. That month, the CPI for transportation and communication in urban areas resided at 97.7 index points. Measuring inflation The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is an economic indicator that measures changes in the price level of a representative basket of consumer goods and services. It is calculated by taking price changes for each item in the market basket and averaging them. Goods and services are weighted according to their significance. The CPI can be used to assess the price changes related to the cost of living. It is also useful for identifying periods of inflation and deflation. A significant rise in CPI during a short period of time denotes inflation and a significant drop during a short period of time suggests deflation. Development of inflation in China Annual projections of China’s inflation rate forecast by the IMF estimate a relatively low increase in prices in the coming years. The implications of low inflation are two-fold for a national economy. On the one hand, price levels remain largely stable which may lead to equal or increased spending levels by domestic consumers. On the other hand, low inflation signifies an expansion slowdown of the economy, as is reflected by China’s gross domestic product growth. In recent years, inflation rates in rural areas have on average been slightly higher than in the cities. This reflects a shift of economic growth from the largest cities and coastal regions to the inner provinces and the countryside. Higher price levels in rural areas in turn relate to higher inflation rates of food products.

Portugal, Canada, and the United States were the countries with the highest house price to income ratio in 2023. In all three countries, the index exceeded 130 index points, while the average for all OECD countries stood at 117.5 index points. The index measures the development of housing affordability and is calculated by dividing nominal house price by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 set as a base year when the index amounted to 100. An index value of 120, for example, would mean that house price growth has outpaced income growth by 20 percent since 2015. How have house prices worldwide changed since the COVID-19 pandemic? House prices started to rise gradually after the global financial crisis (2007–2008), but this trend accelerated with the pandemic. The countries with advanced economies, which usually have mature housing markets, experienced stronger growth than countries with emerging economies. Real house price growth (accounting for inflation) peaked in 2022 and has since lost some of the gain. Although, many countries experienced a decline in house prices, the global house price index shows that property prices in 2023 were still substantially higher than before COVID-19. Renting vs. buying In the past, house prices have grown faster than rents. However, the home affordability has been declining notably, with a direct impact on rental prices. As people struggle to buy a property of their own, they often turn to rental accommodation. This has resulted in a growing demand for rental apartments and soaring rental prices.

Due to the increased interest in long term processes, coming from the field of growth and development theory, the author collects long series on real incomes. Without this information, growth theoretical assumptions cannot be tested. Concerning an index for real income that reaches back to the times before 1870, only the comprehensive investigations of Jürgen Kuczynski are available (cf. Kyczynski, J.: Die Geschichte der Lage der Arbeiter unter dem Kapitalismus, Teil I: Die Geschichte der Arbeiter in Deutschland von 1789 bis zur Gegenwart, Band 1 bis Band 4. Berlin 1961, 1962, 1962, 1967). The author sees a critical review of the underlying series on nominal income and costs of living as an occasion for an independent recalculation. Income is defined as the sum of hourly, daily, weekly and/or monthly wages within one year. Nominal income is given in absolute numbers in Mark, an index for the national income will be calculated using the basis year 1913. Furthermore an index for the costs of living for the period between 1810 and 1914 is calculated as well as an index for real income using the basis year 1913.

Variables: - Absolute nominal income in Mark (Gömmel,(1979)) - Nominal income index (1913 = 100)(Gömmel,(1979)) - Costs of living index (1913 = 100)(Gömmel,(1979)) - Real income index (1913 = 100)(Berechnung von Gömmel,(1979)) - Real income index after Kuczynski (1913 = 100) - Nominal income index after Kuczynski (1913=100) - Real wages index after Grumbach/König (1913 = 100) - Nominal income index after Grumbach/König (1913 = 100) - Real wages Orsagh-Index (1913 = 100)

Data tables in Histat: - Income and costs of living in Germany

The Retail Price Index (RPI) is one of the main measures of inflation used to calculate the change in the price of goods and services within the British economy. In the fourth quarter of 2024 the index value was 391.2, indicating that the price for a fixed basket of goods had increased by more than 391 percent since 1987. The RPI inflation rate for December 2024 was 3.5 percent, down from 3.6 percent in the previous month. Inflation and UK living standards For UK consumers, high inflation is one of the main drivers of the ongoing cost of living crisis. With wages struggling to keep up with the pace of inflation for a long period between 2021 and 2023, UK households saw their living standards fall significantly. In 2022/23, real household disposable income in the UK is estimated to have fallen by 2.1 percent, which was the biggest fall in living standards since 1956. While there have been some signals that the crisis eased somewhat in 2024, such as falling energy and food inflation, an increasing share of UK households have reported increasing living costs since Summer 2024. Additional inflation indicators Aside from the Retail Price Index, the UK also produces other inflation indices such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Consumer Price Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH). While these particular indices measure consumer price increases slightly differently, they both provide an overall picture of rising prices. More specific inflation rates, such as by sector, are also produced, while other indices omit certain items, such as core inflation, which excludes food and energy inflation, to provide a more stable measure of inflation.