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 June 2025, 59 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.

Find out how Australians feel about the increasing cost of living in our latest survey, as well as the latest data from the Cost of Living Index in 2024.

Approximately 81 percent of people in the Republic of Ireland thought that the state of the global economy was the main contributing factor to the rising cost of living in the country. By contrast, just 49 percent of people in Ireland believed that workers demanding pay rises was the main reason.

People in Great Britain's experiences of and actions following increases in their costs of living, and how these differed by a range of personal characteristics.

Budget Direct's in-depth analysis of the latest statistics and survey responses on Australian attitudes to cost of living increases.

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.

According to the 2023 Global Consumer Insights Survey China report, only *** percent of respondents in mainland China and Hong Kong were found to be extremely concerned about the rising cost of living in relation to their personal financial situation. Those who were somewhat concerned accounted for ** percent of the total respondents. Seven percent of respondents were not at all concerned about the rising cost.

This data companion pack is a resource intended to frame and be read alongside the linked rapid review of evidence for interventions to address the cost of living crisis (available on the Institute of Health Equity website) . The resource provides intelligence and context on the cost of living crisis in London only, while the accompanying rapid review of evidence for interventions to mitigate the impacts of the rising cost of living on London, contains the recommendations for action.​ This pack is intended to provide a high-level overview of the impacts of the costs of living crisis on London and the need Londoners have for support to deal with the cost of living crisis through intelligence available in the public domain.

The cost of living is spiraling. Prices are going up, household expenses are rising, and the U.S. inflation rate reached a 40-year record high in 2023. Many consumers are looking for new ways to deal with this situation and refer to social media for support. So, which social media platforms have the most helpful content to deal with the current cost of living crisis in the U.S.? According to an exclusive survey by We Are Social and Statista Q, around 61 percent of TikTok users in the United States find helpful content there. Coming on number second is YouTube, as 56 percent of YouTube users find life hacks, tricks, money saving tips and other suitable advice to deal with inflation in 2023.

This work looks at the spiralling cost of living and the challenges facing Londoners including the rising poverty levels in the capital. The latest update is dated August 2022. The report and public attitudes and behaviour charts (published 1 February 2022) were republished (7 April 2022) to correct a calculation error. This error was due to manual calculation.

Living Cost: Average per Month: SF: Republic of Crimea data was reported at 11,074.000 RUB in Dec 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 10,945.000 RUB for Sep 2020. Living Cost: Average per Month: SF: Republic of Crimea data is updated quarterly, averaging 9,798.500 RUB from Sep 2014 (Median) to Dec 2020, with 26 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11,074.000 RUB in Dec 2020 and a record low of 5,786.000 RUB in Sep 2014. Living Cost: Average per Month: SF: Republic of Crimea 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.

People’s worries about the rising costs of living, using data from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey collected between 27 April and 22 May 2022 and based on adults in Great Britain aged 16 years and over.

Living Cost: Average per Month: FE: Chukotka Area data was reported at 23,999.000 RUB in Dec 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 23,860.000 RUB for Sep 2020. Living Cost: Average per Month: FE: Chukotka Area data is updated quarterly, averaging 11,724.000 RUB from Jun 2003 (Median) to Dec 2020, with 71 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 23,999.000 RUB in Dec 2020 and a record low of 5,744.000 RUB in Dec 2003. Living Cost: Average per Month: FE: Chukotka Area 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.

If a consumer wishes to protect her retirement account from the risk of price changes in order to sustain a stable standard of living, then what price index should the account be indexed to? This paper constructs a dynamic price index (DPI) that answers this question. Unlike the existing theory on price indices (which is static and certain), the DPI measures the cost of living for a consumer who lives for many periods and faces uncertainty. The first contribution of this research is to define this price index and study its theoretical properties. Like static price indices, the DPI is: independent of wealth, homogeneous of degree 1 in all prices, and higher if prices rise at a faster rate. Unlike static price indices, the DPI: is forward-looking, is affected by intertemporal substitution, responds by more to persistent shocks, includes assets prices, and distinguishes between durable and non-durable goods prices. The second contribution of the paper is to construct a DPI for the United States from 1970 to 2004. It differs markedly from the CPI in that: it is less serially correlated, more volatile, and a large part of its movements are driven by changes in the prices of houses and bonds. Both in theory and in practice, this paper finds that considering dynamics, intertemporal smoothing and uncertainty leads to a novel and strikingly different measure of the cost of living.

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.

18- to 24-year-olds were the age group in Great Britain most likely to say that the rise in the cost of living meant that they were going to spend less over Christmas in 2024. Only a very small percentage of British consumers across all ages said that they would spend more than normal on Christmas time, regardless of the rising cost of living.

In September 2023, Learning and Work was commissioned by the GLA to conduct research into the impact of the rising cost of living on London’s adult education landscape. GLA data shows that in 2023, 17% of Londoners were ‘struggling financially’, and another 30% were ‘just about managing’. Increased inflation also impacted the cost of doing business for London’s skills providers and Further Education (FE) workforce. This report and the summary report are based upon a survey, depth interviews and focus groups with learners, providers, and third sector organisations that provide and campaign for people on low incomes. The fieldwork took place between November 2023 and March 2024. The research provides an account of the impact of the rising cost of living on London’s FE sector.