Phrase guide

cost of living

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life, especially of food, shelter and clothing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: attributive, sometimes

Topics: economics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

average cost of basic necessities of life (as food and shelter and clothing)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a rise in the cost of living reflects the rate of inflation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cost

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

50 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تكاليف المعيشَة — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Belarusian: кошт жыцця́ (košt žyccjá) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Belarusian: пражы́тачны мі́німум (pražýtačny mínimum) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Catalan: cost de la vida — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Chinese Mandarin: 生活費用 /生活费用 (shēnghuó fèiyong) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Chinese Mandarin: 生活費 /生活费 (shēnghuófèi) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Chinese Mandarin: 生活成本 (shēnghuó chéngběn) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Chinese Mandarin: 消費 /消费 (xiāofèi) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Danish: leveomkostninger — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Danish: omkostningsstigning — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Dutch: kosten van levensonderhoud — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Dutch: kosten voor levensonderhoud — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Dutch: levensduurte — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Esperanto: vivokosto — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Finnish: elinkustannukset — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • French: coût de la vie — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • French: vie chère — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Georgian: საარსებო მინიმუმი (saarsebo minimumi) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Georgian: ცხოვრების ხარჯი (cxovrebis xarǯi) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Georgian: საარსებო ხარჯი (saarsebo xarǯi) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Georgian: ცხოვრების სიძვირე (cxovrebis siʒvire) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Georgian: საარსებო ღირებულება (saarsebo ɣirebuleba) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • German: Lebenshaltungskosten — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • German: Verteuerung — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • German: Kostensteigerung — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Hindi: निर्वाह-व्यय (nirvāh-vyay) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Icelandic: framfærslukostnaður — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Italian: costo della vita — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Italian: carovita — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Italian: rincaro — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Japanese: 生活費 (seikatsuhi) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Korean: 생활비 (saenghwalbi) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Māori: utu noho — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Norman: couôtage d'la vie — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Norwegian: kostnadsøkning — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Norwegian: levekostnader — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Polish: koszty utrzymania — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Portuguese: custo de vida — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Romanian: costul vieții — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Russian: сто́имость жи́зни (stóimostʹ žízni) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Russian: прожи́точный ми́нимум (prožítočnyj mínimum) — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Spanish: costo de vida — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Swahili: gharama ya maisha — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Swedish: fördyring — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Swedish: kostnadsfördyring — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Swedish: kostnadsökning — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Swedish: levnadskostnader — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Turkish: geçim gideri — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Turkish: yaşam maliyeti — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life
  • Vietnamese: chi phí sinh hoạt — average cost of a standard set of basic necessities of life