consumer price index
Cost-of-living gauge
The consumer price index measures changes in the cost of a representative basket of goods and services over time—food, housing, transportation, medical care.
Governments use it to track inflation and adjust benefits like Social Security.
Often abbreviated CPI.
The consumer price index rose 3.2% last year.
Speed of rising costs
- purchasing powerEconomic spending ability
- deflationSustained decrease in prices
- core inflationPrice growth sans volatility
- cost-pushInflation from higher production expenses
stagflation · hyperinflation · real wages · monetary policy · interest rates · Fed policy · disinflation
Inflation measurement abbreviation
- base yearComparison starting point for indices
- weighted averageMean adjusted by significance
- benchmarkStandard for comparison
- indexationAutomatic adjustment to benchmarks
Food bought at stores
- rentPayment for temporary use
- utilitiesEssential infrastructure services
- healthcare costsFees for medical services
- transportationMoving people or goods
housing · insurance · apparel · food prices · medical expenses · childcare · telecommunications · gasoline
Changes to compensation levels
- social securityPublic financial protection programs
- COLAInflation-indexed pay increase
- tax bracketsIncome-based percentage groupings
- rent controlHousing price regulation
minimum wage · real income · collective bargaining · poverty threshold · entitlement programs
inflation rate
Speed of rising costs
- purchasing powerEconomic spending ability
- deflationSustained decrease in prices
- core inflationPrice growth sans volatility
cost-push · stagflation · hyperinflation · real wages · monetary policy · interest rates · Fed policy · disinflation
CPI
Inflation measurement abbreviation
- base yearComparison starting point for indices
- weighted averageMean adjusted by significance
- benchmarkStandard for comparison
groceries
Food bought at stores
- rentPayment for temporary use
- utilitiesEssential infrastructure services
- healthcare costsFees for medical services
transportation · housing · insurance · apparel · food prices · medical expenses · childcare · telecommunications · gasoline · electricity
wage adjustments
Changes to compensation levels
- social securityPublic financial protection programs
- COLAInflation-indexed pay increase
- tax bracketsIncome-based percentage groupings
rent control · minimum wage · real income · collective bargaining · poverty threshold · entitlement programs
- economicssupply and demand, inflation, GDP, GNP, gross domestic product
- living costsrent prices, utility bills, food prices, gas prices, home prices
- inflationinflation, CPI, hyperinflation, cost-push inflation, stagflation
- macroeconomicsGDP, GNP, gross domestic product, gross national product, inflation rate
price, index, consume, consumer, consumed, consuming, consumption, consumers, consumerism