• Cost of Living
• Cost of Doing Business
• Consumer Expenditures

Cost of Living

Consumer Price Index (CPI), Bureau of Labor Statistics
Price indexes for the U.S., the four Census regions, size of city, cross-classifications of regions and size-classes (e.g., metro areas of over 1.5 million in population in the West), and 26 metro areas. Indexes available for major groups of consumer expenditures (food and beverages, housing, apparel, transportation, medical care, recreation,education and communications, and other goods and services), for items within each group, and for special categories, such as services.

DataMasters
Cost of living comparisons for 399 U.S. cities and metro areas. Estimates include tax costs (from Tax Foundation, U.S. Commerce Dept. and other major tax research organizations). Goods and services cost data from the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association.

Salary Calculator, Homefair.com
Cost of living comparison between U.S. cities. Also includes cost of living for cities in Canada and other foreign countries.

Cost of Living Calculator, Money Magazine
Cost of living comparison between two U.S. cities. 

Yahoo! City Comparison
Comparison of the cost of living and home purchase cost, for U.S. cities..

State Cost of Living Index, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Cost of living index, by state. Calculated as part of annual report, The Federal Budget and the States (see Appendix C). Published December 2000.

Basic Family Budget Calculator, Economic Policy Institute
The income required to make ends meet, by size of family, for 400 metro areas, 1999. Cost of living identified for housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, other necessities, and taxes. (For complete list of cost of living by city, see Appendix F of Hardships in America, in .pdf.)

House Price Index, Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, Department of Housing and Urban Development
Quarterly index of single-family housing appreciation for states and 325 metro areas, 1975-latest quarter. Index tracks average house price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same single-family properties financed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Computation based on conventional, conforming mortgages purchased or securitized by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. 

Conventional Mortgage Home Price Index, Freddie Mac
Index of single-family home price change, 1975-latest quarter, by metro area, state, and Census Bureau multi-state division. Index tracks average house price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same single-family properties financed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Computation based on conventional, conforming mortgages purchased or securitized by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. 

Bank Interest Rates, Bankrate.com
For metro areas, states and nation, current interest rates for mortgages; auto, personal and home equity loans; bank IRA deposits; savings accounts; and CDs. Based on weekly survey of 4,000 banks in 173 markets in 50 states and DC. 

Cost of Living Index, ACCRA  
Relative price levels for consumer goods and services in 300 urban areas. Includes a composite index and separate indexes for housing, utilities, grocery Items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services. Published quarterly  Free comparison of major metro areas available for latest quarter.

Cost of Living Index, Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, Missouri Department of Economic Development
State cost of living index, with composite and six categories of goods and services. Quarterly, 4Q1999-latest quarter.  Derived for each state by averaging the city and metro area ACCRA cost of living indices.

Daily Fuel Gauge Report, American Automobile Association
Daily update of price of gasoline (regular, mid-grade, premium, diesel), per gallon, for states and metro areas.

Affordability Index, techies.com
Ranking of relative affordability of 38 metro areas for information technology workers, based on ACCRA cost-of-living index and average information technology worker salary. Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) with discussion. (January 2002)

Cost of Living, Economy.com
Cost of living indexes for all U.S. metropolitan areas, all Canadian provinces, and 9 Canadian metropolitan areas.

Cost of Doing Business [ back to top ]

Business Climate Comparisons, Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, Missouri Department of Economic Development
Comparison maps and tables, for states, on business climate components, including cost of living, tax information, unemployment insurance, and manufacturing wages.

City Business Tax Study, Vertex, Inc.
Business tax burdens, by type of tax, for 27 cities.

Cost of Doing Business, Economy.com
Cost of doing business indexes for 50 states, over 160 metropolitan areas, 10 Canadian provinces, and 9 Canadian metropolitan areas.

Consumer Expenditures [ back to top ]

Consumer Expenditure Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Average annual consumer expenditure data, by detailed type of goods and services, for U.S. and major regions (annual) and 26 MSAs (biannual average). Includes data on income and consumer unit (families and single consumers). Data available from 1984-latest year.

Consumer Spending, Claritas  
Estimated and projected total household expenditures for over 500 specific product categories, including goods and services, and 27 types of retail stores. Household expenditures are also available for 57 Yellow Pages headings. Data offered by state, metro area, county, and zip code.

Consumer Expenditures, CACI Marketing Systems 
Average expenditure per consumer household, total expenditures, and a Spending Potential Index (average expenditure for a product or service locally compared to the average amount spent for the product or service nationally), for about 400 items, and for county, zip code, or other trade area. Data calculated from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Interview Survey.

Consumer Expenditures, USADATA.com  
Current and 5-year projected consumer expenditures for over 300 items for any U.S. geography (national, state, DMA, City/MSA, county, zip code and block group).

Lifestyle Market Analyst, SRDS 
Profiles of consumer behavior in 211 market areas and 123 counties.

Profiles of Individual Charitable Contributions, National Center for Charitable Statistics, The Urban Institute
Data on charitable giving by state, including percentage of returns with contributions, average contribution per return, and contributions as a percentage of income.

 
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