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cost of living
noun phrase
: the cost of purchasing those goods and services which are included in an accepted standard level of consumption
Examples of cost of living in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Although Cowtown has low investment capital, the cost of living to earnings ratio ranked higher than most cities, which indicates that the city has high rates of upwards mobility for residents.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2024
With the cost of living in the US steadily on the rise pulling in extra money is on the top many Americans’ minds.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 28 May 2024
The cost of living in the West is partially responsible for the labor shortage, but the demands of the job are getting more intense as climate change makes fires more dangerous.
—NPR, 27 May 2024
The impact of inflation, high cost of living and other factors have led to an increase in food insecurity, said Michael Flood, president of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, which serves 900,000 people a month in conjunction with its partner agency of networks.
—Cindy Carcamo, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
The cost of living in Columbia is about 56.1% lower than in the United States, and rent is 78.5% lower.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2024
While the overall cost of living in Aruba is slightly higher than in the U.S., rents are about 57 percent lower.
—Pat Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2024
Like many other workers in Southern California, the Disney employees also found their base wages — which went from $20 to $24.15 in January — no match for the rising cost of living.
—Andrea Hsu, NPR, 18 May 2024
But with the cost of living rising and home ownership for young people increasingly out of reach, Republicans hope independent voters will swing to their side this year.
—Mark Wasson, Twin Cities, 17 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cost of living.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1796, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near cost of living
Cite this Entry
“Cost of living.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cost%20of%20living. Accessed 9 Jun. 2024.
Legal Definition
cost of living
cost of liv·ing
: the cost of purchasing those goods and services which are included in an accepted standard level of consumption
More from Merriam-Webster on cost of living
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cost of living
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