cost of living
Price of existence
Cost of living is the amount of money needed to cover basic expenses—housing, food, transportation, healthcare—in a particular place and time.
The phrase typically appears in comparisons: The cost of living in San Francisco is much higher than in Kansas City.
Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) are periodic increases to wages or benefits meant to keep pace with rising prices.
Payment for temporary use
- groceriesFood bought at stores
- utilitiesEssential infrastructure services
- housingDwellings or protective covering
- healthcareOrganized provision of treatment
childcare · transportation · education · insurance · mortgage · food · clothing · internet
Severe lack of affordable dwellings
- povertySevere lack of resources
- homelessnessLacking permanent residence
- food insecurityUncertain access to adequate meals
- working poorEmployed but below comfort
inequality · gentrification · displacement · eviction · debt · struggle · hardship · survival
- CPIInflation measurement abbreviation
- consumer price indexInflation tracking statistic
- hyperinflationExtreme rapid price escalation
- stagflationStagnant growth meets inflation
price hikes · shrinkflation · price surge · housing bubble · rent increases · price gouging · sticker shock
Shelter scaled to earnings
- disposable incomeEarnings minus essential costs
- minimum wageLowest lawful hourly rate
- salaryFixed periodic employment payment
- wagesPayment for work
income · purchasing power · rent burden · unaffordable · priced out · squeezed · take-home pay · real wages
Economical resource management
- thriftyPrudent with resources
- savingsAccumulated money kept
- cutbacksReductions in spending
- financial planningOrganizing future monetary goals
money management · economizing · penny-pinching · belt-tightening · trade-offs · prioritizing · meal planning · couponing
Pertaining to cities
- suburbanOf residential outskirts
- ruralOf the countryside
- San FranciscoNorthern California metropolis
- New YorkNortheastern metropolis and state
Tokyo · London · Singapore · Sydney · relocation · remote work · local economy
Inflation-indexed pay increase
- wage increaseHigher pay rate
- salary negotiationDiscussing compensation terms
- Social SecurityFederal old-age insurance program
- indexingSystematic organization for retrieval
annual raise · compensation · benefits · pay raise · inflation adjustment · stipend · allowance · hardship pay
rent
Payment for temporary use
- groceriesFood bought at stores
- utilitiesEssential infrastructure services
- housingDwellings or protective covering
healthcare · childcare · transportation · education · insurance · mortgage · food · clothing · internet · phone
housing crisis
Severe lack of affordable dwellings
- povertySevere lack of resources
- homelessnessLacking permanent residence
- food insecurityUncertain access to adequate meals
working poor · inequality · gentrification · displacement · eviction · debt · struggle · hardship · survival · basic needs
rising prices
- CPIInflation measurement abbreviation
- consumer price indexInflation tracking statistic
- hyperinflationExtreme rapid price escalation
stagflation · price hikes · shrinkflation · price surge · housing bubble · rent increases · price gouging · sticker shock
affordable housing
Shelter scaled to earnings
- disposable incomeEarnings minus essential costs
- minimum wageLowest lawful hourly rate
- salaryFixed periodic employment payment
wages · income · purchasing power · rent burden · unaffordable · priced out · squeezed · take-home pay · real wages · economic mobility
frugality
Economical resource management
financial planning · money management · economizing · penny-pinching · belt-tightening · trade-offs · prioritizing · meal planning · couponing · downsizing
urban
Pertaining to cities
- suburbanOf residential outskirts
- ruralOf the countryside
- San FranciscoNorthern California metropolis
New York · Tokyo · London · Singapore · Sydney · relocation · remote work · local economy
COLA
Inflation-indexed pay increase
- wage increaseHigher pay rate
- salary negotiationDiscussing compensation terms
- Social SecurityFederal old-age insurance program
indexing · annual raise · compensation · benefits · pay raise · inflation adjustment · stipend · allowance · hardship pay
- living conditionshousing, income, employment, healthcare access, education access
- UK economyBank of England, pound sterling, GDP, London Stock Exchange, sterling
- Canadian ArcticNunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Baffin Island, Yellowknife
- inflationinflation, CPI, price hikes, hyperinflation, stagflation
- State EconomiesGDP, tax revenue, economic development, job growth, unemployment rate
- poverty factorsdeprivation, hardship, low income, low wages, joblessness
cost of livingdisposable income
Earnings minus essential costs
purchasing power · income · earnings · standard of living · real wages
cost, living, costs, costly, liveliness, livelihood, outlive, livable, costing