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.

Cost of Living - Country Rankings Dataset

Context:

The "Cost of Living - Country Rankings Dataset" provides comprehensive information on the cost of living in various countries around the world. Understanding the cost of living is crucial for individuals, businesses, and policymakers alike, as it impacts decisions related to travel, relocation, investment, and economic analysis. This dataset is intended to serve as a valuable resource for researchers, data analysts, and anyone interested in exploring and comparing the cost of living across different nations.

Content:

This dataset comprises four primary columns:

1. Countries: This column contains the names of various countries included in the dataset. Each country is identified by its official name.

2. Cost of Living: The "Cost of Living" column represents the cost of living index or score for each country. This index is typically calculated by considering various factors, such as housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and other essential expenses. A higher index value indicates a higher cost of living in that particular country, while a lower value suggests a more affordable cost of living.

3. 2017 Global Rank: This column provides the global ranking of each country's cost of living in the year 2017. The ranking is based on the cost of living index mentioned earlier. A lower rank indicates a lower cost of living relative to other countries, while a higher rank suggests a higher cost of living position.

4. Available Data: The "Available Data" column indicates whether or not data for a specific country and year is available.

This dataset is designed to support various data analysis and visualization tasks. Users can explore trends in the cost of living, identify countries with high or low cost of living, and analyze how rankings have changed over time. Researchers can use this dataset to conduct in-depth studies on the factors influencing the cost of living in different regions and the economic implications of such variations.

Please note that the dataset includes information for the year 2017, and users are encouraged to consider this when interpreting the data, as economic conditions and the cost of living may have changed since then. Additionally, this dataset aims to provide a snapshot of cost of living rankings for countries in 2017 and may not cover every country in the world.

Link: https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/cost_of_living_wb/

Disclaimer: The accuracy and completeness of the data provided in this dataset are subject to the source from which it was obtained. Users are advised to cross-reference this data with authoritative sources and exercise discretion when making decisions based on it. The dataset creator and Kaggle assume no responsibility for any actions taken based on the information provided herein.

In July 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.

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.

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.

Explore the impact of inflation in Japan on living costs, with households and businesses facing increasing financial pressures amid rising prices for essentials.

In July 2025, 95 percent of households in Great Britain that reported a cost of living increase in the previous month advised that that their food bills had increased, with 57 percent reporting increased gas or electricity bills.

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

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.

Ireland: Cost of living index, world average = 100: The latest value from 2021 is 175.68 index points, an increase from 157.19 index points in 2017. In comparison, the world average is 79.81 index points, based on data from 165 countries. Historically, the average for Ireland from 2017 to 2021 is 166.44 index points. The minimum value, 157.19 index points, was reached in 2017 while the maximum of 175.68 index points was recorded in 2021.

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.

The Information and Communication Equipment retailing industry has benefitted from the digitisation of economies across Europe, with businesses expanding on their online offerings to capitalise on the growing e-commerce market. Despite this, numerous economic headwinds still plague growth, ranging from a tightening cost of living to rising purchase costs from upstream suppliers. Revenue is anticipated to fall at a compound annual rate of 5.8% over the five years through 2024 to €113.1 billion, including an estimated decline of 4.6% in 2024, while the average industry profit margin is forecast to be 6.5%. The COVID-19 outbreak triggered a mass adoption of technology across Europe, with consumers under lockdown restrictions turning to smartphones, tablets and computers to quench their boredom. The tech boom was short-lived, as economic growth slowed substantially in 2022 amid inflationary pressures and the rising base rate environment. This caused consumers to tighten their purse strings and resulted in a decline in businesses' investment towards IT capabilities as the cost of borrowing picked up and growth prospects vanished. Inflationary pressures persisted in 2023, denting consumer expenditure. However, this also presented opportunities for retailers to offer cheaper second-hand technology. Premium-priced products, like iPhones, were also less exposed to the tightening cost of living squeeze, supporting revenue growth. Revenue is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 1.5% over the five years through 2029 to €121.9 billion, while the average industry profit margin is estimated to reach 3.6%. Improving economic conditions will lift revenue growth in the coming years, facilitating a resurgence in business and consumer confidence, which will drive demand for information and communication equipment. Retailers that cater to the growing market of environmentally conscious consumers will lead the industry in the coming years, purchasing products from manufacturers with eco-friendly production processes that seek to limit energy consumption and improve waste treatments.

Rising prices, inflation, and the cost of living were seen by almost a quarter of the people in the European Union as being one of the two most important issues facing their country in 2023. Prior to the most recent month, concern about rising prices and inflation was highest in 2022, when between 53 and 54 percent of people in the EU stating this was an important issue. Concerns over rising prices have slightly declined among EU citizens in 2024, with 33 percent stating it was one of the two most important issues facing their country.

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

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.

Of the cities who have experienced cost of living increases, the top three are located in Latin America, *** in Mexico and *** in Costa Rica. Each moved **, **, and ** spots in the ranking respectively since 2022. Due to increases in interest rates, the Mexican peso and Costa Rican colón have both appreciated against the U.S. Dollar. Comparatively, Singapore and Zurich were ranked the most expensive cities in the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered social and economic stagnation worldwide, significantly impacting people’s lives. In addition, the Russia-Ukraine war that began in 2022 resulted in rising food prices globally, severely affecting low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to examine the impact of these unprecedented crises on individual values, focusing on Senegal’s urban population. This study is the first to quantitatively assess changes in the values of urban Senegalese during this global crisis. Surveys were conducted in Saint-Louis, Senegal, in August-September 2018 and June-July 2022. The timing of these studies coincides with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 and the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022. The findings revealed a 19.9% decrease in the average monthly cost of living per capita between 2018 and 2022, attributed to the combined effects of rising food prices and unemployment. Furthermore, the proportion of households spending less than $3.50 per person per day—below the lower-middle-income class poverty line—increased by 11.05%. Our analysis indicates a decline in values such as benevolence, universalism, hedonism, and self-direction. In contrast, values related to power and achievement significantly increased following the pandemic. These results suggest that individual values are flexible and may change in response to external factors such as global crises.

Description and Purpose

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.​

1. 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.
2. This pack identifies how certain groups in the population already experiencing health inequalities are at greatest risk of poverty and worsening health due to the cost of living crisis.
3. Given there are significant gaps in intelligence available, this pack also highlights these gaps and limitations in our understanding.

Audience

It will be useful for health leaders, analysts, officers, and policy makers from local and regional government, integrated care systems, NHS, academia, VCS organisations and partners across London to support their work to address the costs of living crisis by​

• Advocating for the need for action to address the rising cost of living given impacts on health and health inequalities ​
• Framing the context for the interventions highlighted in the linked rapid review of interventions​
• Engaging communities ​

​Development of this resource

The Institute of Health Equity (IHE), Greater London Authority (GLA) Health, GLA City Intelligence Unit, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities London (OHID), Association of Directors of Public Health London (ADPH), and NHSE have collaboratively produced this report, as part of the Building the Evidence (BTE) programme of work

• The sources of data available and topics included have been identified from existing published data, working in partnership through iterative discussion
• The resource is provided in PDF and PowerPoint format to support colleagues in their work to
• There is no current plan for periodic updates of this resource, though this will be discussed on completion of this programme of work

Consumer Price Index CPI in the United States increased to 323.05 points in July from 322.56 points in June of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Consumer Price Index (CPI) - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.