Cost of living in the USA 2026
The World Bank puts prices in the USA at 100.0 in 2025, the base of 100 in the ranking. Of the 161 countries kept here, only 152 cost less. American consumer units spent an average of $81,905 in 2025, on $110,847 of income before tax. Housing took $27,790, or 33.9%, transport $13,492, food $10,633 and healthcare $6,470. A consumer unit is roughly a household and can include several earners. One net average salary covers 85% of that household spending, which is why two incomes weigh so much. Official inflation stood at 3.7% over a year (September 2026). The average salary there leaves $5,835 net a month. The tool below converts your budget line by line and gives the gross needed to fund it there.
The same lifestyle, a month: United States
$3,454
| Housing and energy | $1,437 |
|---|---|
| Food | $706 |
| Transport | $194 |
| Everything else | $1,116 |
| Annual gross to fund it | $48,865 |
National price levels by category, International Comparison Program 2021, exchange rate of 2 November 2026. A capital city can cost far more.
Price level by category, United States and the United States
| Category (world = 100, 2021) | United States | US |
|---|---|---|
| Food | 116.5 | 116.5 |
| Housing and energy | 214.6 | 214.6 |
| Transport | 116.0 | 116.0 |
| Health | 207.9 | 207.9 |
| Restaurants and hotels | 142.0 | 142.0 |
| Communication | 224.0 | 224.0 |
| Education | 254.7 | 254.7 |
World Bank, International Comparison Program 2021, CC BY 4.0 licence. Recent overall level: 100.0 against 100 in the United States in 2025.
What prices hide in the USA
The United States is the base of the ranking: any country at 80 is 20% cheaper. The line that sets it apart from Europe is health, at 207.9 on a world base of 100 against 162.1 in the United Kingdom, which reflects different funding. A household budget there revolves around housing and the car, and the gap between a rural state and California or New York is considerable. No national average captures it.
The lines that stand out in the USA
By category, the 2021 world survey puts housing at 214.6, food at 116.5 and health at 207.9, with the world at 100, against 162.1 for health in the United Kingdom.
Going further
Questions
What is the cost of living in the USA?
It starts with a World Bank figure: 100.0 in 2025, with the United States at 100, which puts the country at rank 153 of 161. Your district and your rent matter more than this average. Rent is often the heaviest line in a budget: check listings in the city you have in mind before deciding.
What costs the most in the USA?
In spending, housing: 27,790 dollars a year in 2025 according to the BLS, 33.9% of the total, ahead of transport at 13,492 dollars and food at 10,633. On price level against the world in 2021, education reaches 254.7 and health 207.9, with housing at 214.6.
How much does an American household spend a year?
The BLS gives 81,905 dollars per consumer unit in 2025, on 110,847 dollars of income before tax. That unit often holds several earners, so setting the figure against one average salary overstates the difficulty. The median would sit lower than this mean, which high earners pull up.
Sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditures 2025, released 29 October 2026
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, 14 October 2026
- World Bank, price level: consumption PPP factor (PA.NUS.PRVT.PP) over the official exchange rate (PA.NUS.FCRF), API read 3 November 2026
- World Bank, International Comparison Program 2021: price level index by category, API read 3 November 2026
Figures 2026, checked on