cost of living

noun

1. the average cost of food, clothing, and other necessary or usual goods and services paid by a person, family, etc., or considered as a standard by the members of a group.

cost of living

noun

1. 1. the basic cost of the food, clothing, shelter, and fuel necessary to maintain life, esp at a standard regarded as basic or minimal
   2. ( as modifier )

      the cost-of-living index

2. the average expenditure of a person or family in a given period

cost of living

1. The average cost of the basic necessities of life, including food, shelter, and clothing.

Notes

In the United States, the cost of living is monitored in the consumer price index (formerly called the cost-of-living index), published monthly by the federal government.

Other Words From

• cost-of-living adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cost of living¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Move to “chained CPI” for cost-of-living increases in Social Security payments?

From The Daily Beast

He was ready to tweak the cost-of-living formula for Social Security.

From The Daily Beast

You can debate which cost-of-living adjustment is more accurate, but there is nothing sacrosanct about any given metric.

From The Daily Beast

Frigging Florida labor laws meant that you had to give cost-of-living raises every year, and it added up.

From Project Gutenberg

The best cost-of-living news of the past year is that double-digit inflation of 12 percent or higher was cut almost in half.

From Project Gutenberg

Also, my Administration was the first to seek a cost-of-living increase for the recipients of VA compensation every year.

From Project Gutenberg

Next year, tax rates will be indexed so inflation can't push people into higher brackets when they get cost-of-living pay raises.

From Project Gutenberg

In all, he had mediated thirty-two strikes, sat on two arbitration boards, made three cost-of-living surveys for the Government.

From Project Gutenberg