cost of living

noun phrase

: the cost of purchasing those goods and services which are included in an accepted standard level of consumption

Examples of cost of living in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Astoria, which was relatively affordable at that point, started to attract people who cared about the cost of living. Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026 According to the Social Security Administration, by law, federal benefits increase when the cost of living rises, as measured by the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 6 Jan. 2026 Mamdani hasn’t acknowledged how the city and state governments, with their myriad rules and mandates, contribute substantially to New York’s cost of living. Nicole Gelinas, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026 The rankings looked beyond temperature alone, factoring in winter conditions, daylight hours from December through February, cost of living, and safety. Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cost of living

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cost of living was in 1796

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Cite this Entry

“Cost of living.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cost%20of%20living. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.

Legal Definition

cost of living

cost of liv·​ing
: the cost of purchasing those goods and services which are included in an accepted standard level of consumption

More from Merriam-Webster on cost of living

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