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
Grocery prices are set to rise 3.2% this year, above the 20-year average
American households already stretched by two years of elevated food costs face another round of price increases at the checkout line. The USDA Economic Research...
Summer energy aid can cover a window AC or part of your electric bill, but funds run out fast
Low-income households across several states can apply right now for summer aid that pays for a window air conditioner or offsets part of an electric...
Coffee prices are up nearly 20% over the past year
American households that buy ground coffee are paying close to 20 percent more per pound than they did a year ago, according to federal price...
Property taxes are climbing fastest in Texas, New Jersey, Illinois and Connecticut
Homeowners in Texas, New Jersey, Illinois and Connecticut are absorbing some of the steepest property tax increases in the country, driven by residential valuations that...
7-Eleven is closing about 600 U.S. stores this year
Seven & i Holdings, the parent company of 7-Eleven, disclosed plans to close 645 convenience stores across North America during fiscal year 2026, which began...
Ready-to-eat chicken Caesar wraps are recalled over a possible listeria contamination
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a public health alert for ready-to-eat chicken Caesar wrap products that may be...
Gas is cheapest in Indiana near $3.06 while Hawaii tops $5.40 a gallon
Drivers filling up in Indiana are paying roughly $3.06 a gallon for regular gasoline, the lowest average in the country, while motorists in Hawaii face...
Coffee and other grocery staples are set to rise more than 5% this year
American grocery shoppers are absorbing a 5.8 percent year-over-year jump in nonalcoholic beverage prices, more than double the 2.8 percent increase forecast for food-at-home overall...
Blood-pressure and diabetes drug shortages are forcing seniors to hunt for refills
Seniors who depend on daily blood-pressure and diabetes medications are spending hours calling pharmacies, switching drugstores, and sometimes going weeks without refills as supply disruptions...
Family Dollar has closed more than 350 stores, hitting low-income shoppers hardest
Dollar Tree’s decision to shut roughly 970 underperforming Family Dollar locations is removing one of the last nearby food sources for households that already struggle...
Childcare now eats about 20% of the average family’s income, triple the affordable line
Families across the United States now spend roughly 20% of their median income on childcare, a figure that has ballooned to nearly three times the...
Beef prices are up 12.9% as the U.S. cattle herd falls to a 75-year low
American shoppers are paying sharply more for beef, with retail prices for beef and veal climbing 12.9% over the 12 months ending in May 2026....
Walgreens is closing hundreds more stores in 2026, pushing more seniors into pharmacy deserts
Walgreens Boots Alliance is pressing ahead with its multi-year store-closure campaign, and the next wave in 2026 threatens to strand older Americans who depend on...
Used-car prices have fallen about 2% over the past year while new cars average nearly $50,000
American car buyers face a widening gap between what used vehicles cost and what dealers charge for new ones. The Consumer Price Index for used...
A family of four now pays up to $720 in airline bag fees after every carrier raised them
A family of four checking two bags each on a round-trip domestic flight now faces up to $720 in baggage fees after American Airlines, JetBlue,...
Kroger is rolling out its biggest price cuts in years to fight Walmart and Costco
Kroger Co. is preparing its most aggressive round of price reductions in years, a direct response to intensifying competition from Walmart and Costco at a...
Sam’s Club raised its membership fee to $60, its first increase since 2022
Tens of millions of Sam’s Club shoppers in the United States are now paying more for the privilege of walking through the warehouse doors. The...
Gas has slipped to a national average of $3.79 a gallon, down from nearly $4 last month
American drivers are paying less at the pump than they were a few weeks ago, with the national average price of gasoline falling to $3.79...
Rent tops $3,500 a month in San Francisco, New York and Boston, while Toledo stays near $1,060
Renters in San Francisco, New York and Boston now face median monthly costs above $3,500, according to American Community Survey 2022 5-year estimates published by...
Tariffs are adding roughly $1,500 to the average U.S. household’s costs this year
American households are absorbing roughly $1,200 to $1,500 in added costs this year as tariffs imposed since early 2025 push up prices on imported goods,...