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
Consumer prices climbed faster than electricity only recently, with power costs up over 6% in a year
American households paying electric bills saw those costs climb 5.9 percent over the past year, outpacing the 4.2 percent rise in overall consumer prices through...
Home cooling bills are set to hit a record this summer, averaging $792 to run the air conditioning
American households face a summer of record cooling costs, with the average air-conditioning bill projected to reach $792 for the season. The U.S. Energy Information...
Electricity prices have jumped 39% in five years, far outpacing overall inflation
American households and businesses are paying sharply more for electricity than they were five years ago, with retail power prices climbing 39 percent over that...
Summer electricity bills are set to rise 10.5% to a record this year
American households are heading into the summer of 2026 facing the steepest electricity bills on record, with residential costs projected to climb roughly 10.5 percent...
One in six U.S. households has fallen behind on its utility bills as energy costs climb
Roughly one in six U.S. households has fallen behind on utility payments as residential energy costs continue to rise, according to federal survey data tracking...
The minimum wage rises July 1 in 15 states and cities, from Alaska to Washington, D.C. — check the list
Workers earning the lowest hourly wages in at least 15 states and cities will see bigger paychecks starting July 1, 2026, as scheduled minimum wage...
Twenty-two states raised their minimum wage at some point in 2026, with 15 more increases landing July 1
Hundreds of thousands of low-wage workers across the country are seeing higher paychecks in 2026 as twenty-two states raised their minimum wage at some point...
Washington, D.C.’s minimum wage rises to $18.40 an hour on July 1, with tipped pay climbing to $10.30
Workers earning the lowest hourly wages in the District of Columbia will see a bump in their paychecks starting July 1, 2026, when the standard...
Alaska’s minimum wage climbs to $14 an hour on July 1, on its way to $15 next year
Workers across Alaska earning the state’s lowest legal hourly rate will see a dollar-an-hour raise when their next pay period crosses July 1, 2026. The...
Walmart rolled back prices on 7,200 items ahead of a four-retailer deal week
Walmart cut prices on 7,200 items ahead of a packed late-June stretch when at least two major national retailers plan overlapping discount events. The retailer’s...
$9.25 a month comes off your phone or internet bill if you’re on SNAP or Medicaid
Millions of Americans enrolled in SNAP or Medicaid qualify for a $9.25 monthly discount on their phone or internet bill through the federal Lifeline program,...
Sugar and sweets are set to cost 6.7% more this year, outpacing most of the grocery aisle
American grocery shoppers face a steeper bill for candy, cookies, and ice cream in 2026 than for nearly any other product in the supermarket. The...
Pump prices have fallen for almost four straight weeks as the war premium drains away
American drivers are paying roughly 42 cents less per gallon than they were three weeks ago, as the national average price of regular gasoline dropped...
Heating oil and diesel are tumbling too, easing the freight costs baked into store prices
Trucking companies, retailers, and anyone who pays a heating bill are catching a break as distillate fuel prices slide from their recent highs. Weekly spot...
Gas fell below $4 a gallon for the first time since March as the Iran blockade eases
American drivers are paying less than $4 a gallon for regular gasoline for the first time since late March, a drop tied directly to renewed...
Used-car prices rose about 3.1% in May, roughly $870 more per vehicle in a month
Americans shopping for a used car in May 2026 faced a sharply higher price tag. The Consumer Price Index for used cars and trucks climbed...
Electric bills in data-center hubs like Virginia have soared up to 267% in five years
Households and businesses near the country’s largest clusters of data centers are paying sharply higher electricity bills, with wholesale costs at some grid nodes jumping...
Coffee prices are climbing faster than almost anything else at the grocery store this year
American grocery shoppers are paying sharply more for coffee than they were a year ago, with price increases that dwarf most other items in the...
The average new car sold for $49,220 in May as tariffs keep sticker prices high
Car buyers paid an average of $49,220 for a new vehicle in May, a figure shaped directly by the 25 percent tariff on imported automobiles...
Utilities asked regulators for $9.4 billion in rate hikes in just the first quarter of 2026
American households and businesses face the prospect of sharply higher electric bills after utilities across the country filed requests with state regulators seeking a combined...