Cost of Living, CPI, and Inflation

The following guide provides sources for cost of living, consumer price index (CPI), and inflation data. Each entry listed below includes the name of the source or publisher, provides a brief description of the resource and its primary features, and notes any information that is available free online.

Select from the following resources:

Consumer Price Index (CPI)
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor

Official government website provides current and historical consumer price index data, with resources available on the site including an inflation calculator which shows how the buying power of the dollar has changed from one selected year to another, and databases, tables, and publications that provide detailed monthly data for the CPI-U, CPI-W, and C-CPI-U indexes on a national and regional basis.

Livingston Survey
Research Department, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

Semiannual survey summarizes forecasts for key economic indicators provided by economists from industry, government, and academia, with economic measures covered in the survey including real GDP growth, unemployment, CPI inflation, PPI inflation, 3-month and 10-year Treasury securities interest rates, and S&P 500 stock price index. Current and prior surveys are available free online.

Survey of Professional Forecasters
Research Department, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

Quarterly survey summarizes forecasts for key economic indicators provided by economists who are currently generating forecasts for their employers or clients or those who have done so in the past, with economic measures covered in the survey including real GDP growth, unemployment, payrolls, and headline and core CPI and PCE inflation. Current and prior surveys are available free online.

Cost of Living Calculator - CNN Money
CNN | Council for Community and Economic Research

Free online calculator allows users to calculate the income required to maintain the same standard of living in two different U.S. metropolitan areas, and also provides information on the relative cost of groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, and health care for each metropolitan area. Cost of living data used in this calculator is derived from the "C2ER Cost of Living Index" described below.

C2ER Cost of Living Index
Council for Community and Economic Research

Online database allows users to compare the cost of living for selected metropolitan areas with each other and the national average, with cost of living measures provided by the database including the composite index, major expenditure category indexes, expected spending by household types, and average price comparisons for selected items. Sample comparison report is available free online.

ERI Relocation Assessor
ERI Economic Research Institute, Inc.

Web-based subscription application allows users to compare cost-of-living differentials by metro area or within a user-defined geographic area for more than 7,300 U.S. and Canadian areas, with major expenditure categories covered in the customizable two-area cost comparison worksheet including consumables, transportation, health services, housing costs, taxes, and miscellaneous.

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