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
Nevada ordered NV Energy to return $63 million to 108,000 overcharged customers by month’s end
The record on NV Energy’s decades-long billing error is only partly closed. Nevada regulators have finalized how much the utility owes, who receives it, and...
A homeless food stamp household can deduct $205.66 in shelter costs starting October 1
The Food and Nutrition Administration set the maximum homeless shelter deduction for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program at $205.66 for fiscal year 2027, effective October...
War-driven fuel costs have taken $659 from the average household and $88 billion nationwide
The average American household has paid an additional $659.01 for gasoline and diesel since the Iran War began pushing prices higher on February 28, 2026,...
Diesel reached a record $5.90 a gallon on Monday as the war premium held
AAA’s daily fuel-price survey put the national diesel average at $5.9012 a gallon on September 8, a fraction below the $5.9015 mark the tracking service...
AT&T raises internet bills another $5 a month on September 28
A $5 monthly increase hits AT&T Internet Air customers on September 28, 2026, the second rate hike the company has confirmed on its internet plans...
Coffee costs about 19% more than a year ago as tariffs and short harvests push grocery bills up
A pound of ground coffee at the supermarket now costs roughly 19 percent more than it did a year ago, government price data show, even...
Sam’s Club membership now costs $60 a year, up from $50, its first increase since 2022
A basic Sam’s Club membership now costs $60 a year, a $10 jump from the $50 rate that had held since 2022, after the Walmart-owned...
Insurers want to raise Obamacare premiums another 14% for 2027 after expired subsidies already drove bills up 20%
Health insurers selling Affordable Care Act marketplace plans are asking state regulators to approve a median premium increase of 14% for 2027, according to preliminary...
New Jersey’s ANCHOR rebate payments start September 15, among several state checks this fall
New Jersey’s Division of Taxation begins sending out ANCHOR property tax relief payments on September 15, 2026, one of several state programs putting money back...
Record Labor Day gas near $4.14 a gallon squeezes retirees who drive, but relief to about $3.72 is forecast by year-end
The national average price of gasoline hit $4.14 a gallon over Labor Day weekend 2026, the highest the holiday has ever recorded and the first...
Your 2027 Obamacare out-of-pocket maximum jumps to $12,000, up from $10,600, as expired subsidies drive premiums sharply higher
The most an Affordable Care Act marketplace plan can require an individual to pay out of pocket in 2027 is rising to $12,000, up from...
Eggs have tumbled about 30% this year while beef stays near record highs, splitting the grocery bill in two
Grocery shoppers are living through two opposite price stories in the same cart this year. Egg prices are forecast to fall 30.8 percent in 2026...
Peacock raised the price of every plan, but existing subscribers aren’t charged more until a bill on or after September 17
Every Peacock subscription plan now costs more, with the increase already live for new sign-ups and a second, later date built in for people who...
A senior property-tax exemption can trim a homeowner’s yearly bill
Property taxes are the one major homeownership cost that rises automatically with a home’s assessed value, regardless of whether the owner’s income has kept pace,...
Budget billing spreads a household’s seasonal energy costs evenly across the year
A household’s electric or gas bill can swing by hundreds of dollars between a mild spring month and a peak summer or winter one, even...
Many older Americans qualify for SNAP food aid but never apply
A retired household living on Social Security, a small pension, or disability payments often assumes it earns too much, or has too much saved, to...
The Lifeline program cuts the monthly phone or internet bill for low-income households
A landline, mobile, or internet bill doesn’t have to be paid at full price for every eligible low-income household. The Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline program...
LIHEAP helps low-income households cover heating and cooling bills
A high heating or cooling bill doesn’t have to come entirely out of a fixed income. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as...
Homeowners can appeal an assessment to cut a property-tax bill that outran the home’s value
More than 40% of properties in the United States are assessed high enough that a formal challenge could shave $100 or more off the annual...
Many states let older homeowners defer property taxes until the home is sold
A homeowner on a fixed income who sees their property tax bill climb faster than their Social Security check has an option that many people...