Cost of Living
Grocery prices, gas prices, utility costs, inflation impacts on everyday expenses, consumer sentiment, and the real-world financial pressures facing households.
Latest in Cost of Living
Gas is cheapest in Indiana at $3.06 a gallon while Hawaii drivers pay $5.46, near a $3.95 national average
Drivers filling up in Indiana are paying about $3.06 a gallon for regular gasoline, the lowest statewide average in the country. At the other extreme,...
Harris Teeter and Pick ‘n Save are closing stores in six states, sending some shoppers to find a new pharmacy
Kroger plans to shut down roughly 60 stores across multiple banners, including Harris Teeter and Pick ‘n Save locations, forcing pharmacy customers in at least...
$792 is the record average summer electric bill, and Arizona may pay $1,060
American households are heading into the most expensive cooling season on record, with the national average summer electric bill projected at $792. In Arizona, where...
Restaurant prices rose 3.5% over the year, outpacing groceries and squeezing fixed incomes
Americans eating out are paying 3.5% more than they did a year ago, while grocery bills rose 2.7% over the same period ending in May...
Pizza Hut is closing about 250 U.S. restaurants, so redeem any gift cards before your location shuts
Customers holding Pizza Hut gift cards face a shrinking window to use them. Yum! Brands, the parent company behind Pizza Hut, KFC, and Taco Bell,...
Grocery prices climbed 2.7% over the past year, and the government expects another 2.8% rise in 2026
American households are paying 2.7 percent more for groceries than they did a year ago, and the federal government expects that pressure to intensify. The...
Kroger is rolling out its biggest price cuts in years across 21 grocery chains to undercut Walmart
Kroger is preparing to cut prices on thousands of items across all 21 of its grocery chains, a move CEO Greg Foran described as necessary...
Walgreens is closing 1,200 stores, and seniors who fill prescriptions there may need a new pharmacy
Walgreens Boots Alliance announced plans to close 1,200 stores as part of what the company calls its Footprint Optimization Program, disclosed alongside fiscal-year results for...
Costco is holding the line on prices in a summer grocery war with Walmart and Kroger
Costco Wholesale is absorbing grocery inflation pressure this summer rather than passing it to shoppers, a strategy that puts the membership-warehouse giant on a collision...
Gas prices fell nearly 10% in June, but grocery bills still ran 2.7% higher than a year ago
American drivers caught a break at the pump in June, but their grocery receipts told a different story. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that...
Walmart is pouring $2 billion in tariff refunds into rollbacks, cutting beef, corn and soda prices
Walmart plans to channel $2 billion from tariff refunds into price cuts on everyday grocery staples, including beef, corn and soda. The retailer is among...
A federal program gives seniors priority for summer cooling bills and even free air conditioners
Older adults living on fixed incomes face a direct threat every summer when temperatures climb and electricity bills spike. The federal Low Income Home Energy...
Five states — Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma, Alabama and West Virginia — carry the lowest overall living costs
Residents of Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma, Alabama and West Virginia pay less for housing, groceries, transportation and services than people in any other U.S. state. Two...
Mississippi is the cheapest state to live in for 2026, and North Dakota’s gas nears $3.27 a gallon
Mississippi holds the title of cheapest state to live in for 2026, with a composite cost of living index of 86.2 in the first quarter...
$9.25 a month comes off phone or internet bills for SNAP and Medicaid households
Households enrolled in SNAP or Medicaid can subtract $9.25 from their monthly phone or internet bill through the federal Lifeline program, a benefit that has...
Illinois raised its senior property-tax freeze income limit to $75,000 for 2026
Illinois has widened eligibility for one of its longest-running property tax relief programs for older homeowners. Starting with the 2026 tax year, the income ceiling...
Egg prices are expected to fall about 30% in 2026, a rare break at the grocery store
After two years in which the price of a carton of eggs became shorthand for grocery-bill frustration, households can finally expect some relief. Federal forecasters...
Ground coffee now averages $9.46 a pound, up 55% in two years
American grocery shoppers are paying $9.46 per pound for ground roast coffee as of February 2026, a 55 percent increase over the price recorded just...
Minimum wage rose in 22 states this year, with Alaska and Oregon among July’s increases
Low-wage workers in Alaska saw their hourly pay jump by a dollar on July 1, 2026, the second step in a voter-approved schedule that will...
Ground beef hit about $6.75 a pound as the U.S. cattle herd fell to a 75-year low
American shoppers are paying about $6.75 a pound for ground beef, a price driven by a cattle herd that has shrunk to levels not seen...