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
9.3 million older homeowners qualify for property-tax relief; only 8% claim it.
Millions of older Americans who own their homes are leaving property-tax relief on the table. Custom estimates drawn from federal survey microdata indicate that roughly...
Nearly 60% of eligible seniors skip SNAP, leaving an estimated $9.48 billion in food benefits unclaimed every year.
More than half of older Americans who qualify for federal food assistance never receive it. In fiscal year 2019, just 48 percent of eligible adults...
$95 billion in rate increases is being sought by utilities across 49 states, as home power bills rose 10.2% in a year
Households across nearly every U.S. state face the prospect of sharply higher electricity costs as utilities press regulators to approve what amounts to $95 billion...
Fresh vegetables cost about 12% more than a year ago, among the fastest-rising items at the grocery store
American grocery shoppers are paying sharply more for fresh vegetables than they did a year ago, with prices climbing approximately 11.9% between May 2025 and...
Kroger says it will make its biggest grocery price cuts in years to compete with Walmart and Costco
Kroger plans to cut prices on thousands of grocery items in what the retailer calls its broadest reductions in years, a direct bid by CEO...
Costco is raising its Executive membership to $130 and its Business tier to $65 this year
Costco Wholesale will charge $130 for Executive memberships and $65 for Gold Star and Business memberships in the United States and Canada starting Sept. 1,...
Beef now costs nearly 13% more than it did a year ago
American grocery shoppers are paying sharply more for beef than they were a year ago, with prices climbing 12.9 percent between May 2025 and May...
California is swapping confusing “sell by” dates for clear “use by” labels to curb wasted groceries
Starting July 1, 2026, food sold in California will no longer carry consumer-facing “sell by” dates. Instead, products manufactured on or after that date must...
Gas is set to average about $3.75 a gallon on July 4, the second-priciest Independence Day on record
American drivers heading out for Independence Day weekend will face pump prices near $3.75 a gallon for regular gasoline, a level exceeded only by the...
A federal program will weatherize a low-income household’s home for free, cutting heating and cooling bills for good
Low-income households struggling with heating and cooling costs can get their homes weatherized at no charge through a federal program run by the U.S. Department...
Inflation climbed to 4.2% in May, its highest in three years, keeping pressure on grocery and gas bills
American families already stretching their budgets at the supermarket and the gas pump got unwelcome confirmation in June: consumer prices rose 4.2% over the 12...
Coffee and tea prices climbed nearly 12% last year and keep rising as droughts batter growers
American grocery shoppers paid nearly 12 percent more for coffee and tea materials over the year ending in August 2025, and the price pressure has...
The national gas average has slipped back under $4 a gallon
American drivers are catching a break at the pump for the first time in months. The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline...
Beef prices are on track to rise about 12% this year, the steepest climb in the grocery aisle
A pound of ground beef that cost $5.00 last summer now runs closer to $5.60, and the gap is still widening. Beef and veal prices...
Tyson and Cargill will pay $87.5 million over beef prices, and shoppers who bought steak between 2014 and 2019 can claim by June 30
Shoppers who purchased beef between 2014 and 2019 have until June 30 to file claims in an $87.5 million settlement involving Tyson Foods and Cargill....
Nearly 40% of households earning under $50,000 say they struggle to pay their energy bills
Nearly 40% of U.S. households earning under $50,000 report difficulty paying their energy bills, according to preliminary microdata from the federal government’s most detailed household...
Gas is cheapest in Indiana, Texas, and Oklahoma, each under $3.55 a gallon
Drivers in Indiana, Texas, and Oklahoma are paying less than $3.55 a gallon for regular gasoline, placing these three states at the bottom of the...
The national gas average sits near $4.05, still elevated after the spring spike
American drivers are paying roughly $4.05 a gallon for regular gasoline, a price that has eased only slightly since the spring surge pushed the national...
Arizona faces the nation’s steepest summer power bills, around $1,060
Arizona households entering summer 2026 confront electricity costs that dwarf the national average, with estimates placing the typical three-month cooling bill at roughly $1,060. That...
Connecticut households are projected to pay about $944 to stay cool this summer
Connecticut residents bracing for a hot summer face a projected $944 in cooling costs over the season, even as state regulators and the governor have...