Cost of Living Index
The Cost of Living Index relies on volunteers like you.
Make accurate and reliable cost of living comparisons between your area and any other participating city across the United States.
Recall previous comparisons up to 30 days after purchase here.
Published quarterly since 1968, COLI is available for purchase in print and various electronic formats. The print edition is a magazine-style publication that is mailed to the shipping address provided. PDF or Excel formats are available for immediate download.
The publication currently available is the 2021 Annual Average Index. If you are a print subscriber, please allow up to four full weeks after the publication date for your issue to arrive.
To map COLI cities to current Census metro delineations from February 2018, download the lookup file here.
*Note: Single issue publications are intended for research purposes only. If you are looking to place data on your website or distribute in any fashion, please consult the licensing section via online tools below. Due to copyright there is a licensing fee.
New! For only $87 more you can get:
Click “Become a C2ER member” and select “Cost of Living Index (Quarterly)”
OVERVIEW: The COLI Adjusted Occupational Wage Comparison Tool provides occupational wage estimates across geographies, adjusted for differences in cost of living. The data allows analysts to examine the relationship between regional and state cost of living and occupational wages.
ABOUT THE DATA: The Labor Market Information Institute (LMI) produce the Occupational Wage Comparison Tool based on the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) each March and the County Cost of Living Index produced by the Council for Community and Economic Research.
This issue includes the regular quarterly publication, along with indices for six additional demographic groups (Construction Workers and Mechanics, Self Employed Workers, Wage and Salary Earners, Retired, Lowest 20 income quintile, Second 20 income quintile). Estimated expenditures for two household sizes Family size (Husband and Wife with one child under 6 years old and Husband and Wife with two children) and Homeownership (Homeowners and Renters) are also included with this publication.
The publication currently available is the 2021 Annual Average Index.
The voluntary nature of the quarterly Index means that not every area is covered, and customers increasingly seek cost comparisons in local areas. In response to the demand for more localized data, C2ER has developed a county-level cost of living index for the United States based on an econometric model that identifies key determinants of an area’s cost of living.
The publication currently available is the 2021 County Level Index.
Best offer for the County Level Index: C2ER Basic membership
Click “Become a C2ER member” and select “County and State Level Cost of Living Index (Annual)” as your add-on!
The County Index Adjusted for Median Household Index (MHI) was created to standardize the Census MHI data to factor in cost of living differentials. This publication includes the County Level Index, MHI county data, and the adjusted income for each county.
Based on the estimated County Cost of Living Index, the statewide index uses the population weighted index numbers for each county within a state.
The publication currently available is the 2021 State Level Index.
For cities interested in participating in the Cost of Living Index but have populations less than the 35,000 population threshold, C2ER has an option called the Small Cities Project. For any smaller community in the United States, the small city program is available as an independent project to allow your community to still benchmark its cost of living to the national average. In this program, smaller cities may participate in as few or as many quarterly collections during the year. For an annual fee of $250, your city can receive a personalized COLI publication.
The Historical Quarterly Index includes MSA and city level Index values and average price data going back to 1990 in a single file. Back issues are available since 1980 and include all four published quarters for each year. Issues from 1980-1989 are available in PDF format only and issues from 1990 to current are available in Excel format. For individual past quarter data, or any other historical options, please contact us.
Do you want to let your clients compare cost of living differences between your community and other communities across the United States?
The Cost of Living Index (COLI) Web Calculator allows your web visitors to make their very own cost of living comparisons between U.S. cities.
To makes these comparisons, the calculator uses continuously updated data pulled directly from the highly regarded Cost of Living Index. The Cost of Living Index data is based on the prices of more than 60 goods and services, updated quarterly.
The C2ER staff provide the options of customizing the COLI Calculator for your needs, hosting it through our server, and providing technical assistance.
To find out more, please call Jennie Allison at 703-522-4980 to learn how easy and inexpensive it can be for you to add this exciting feature to your website!
Do you need to add more information to your site that will engage your web visitors?
An annual license would allow your site’s visitors to compare the prices in your city to those in many other cities. Your site’s visitors can also enter their current after-tax income and “calculate” the income necessary to maintain their current standard of living in various cities across the United States. Organizations that currently license our data include Payscale, Bankrate, and CNN.
To makes these comparisons, the calculator uses continuously updated data pulled directly from the highly regarded Cost of Living Index. The Cost of Living Index data is based on the prices of more than 60 goods and services, updated quarterly.
To find out more, please call Jennie Allison at 703-522-4980 to learn how easy it is to add this exciting feature to your website!
The COLI Library Application allows university and public libraries to license historical, county level, and quarterly index publications to provide access to students and researchers. Please contact the C2ER office for more information.
