Cost of Living Race

RANKING OVER TIME

Index, 2019=100

Cost of Living Race

2019

Leader Medical Care

#7 Gasoline 98.6 98.6

#5 Car Insurance 100.3 100.3

#8 Electricity 98.3 98.3

#4 Dining Out 101.3 101.3

#2 Rent 101.7 101.7

#3 Wages 101.4 101.4

#6 Groceries 100 100

#9 Used Cars 98.1 98.1

#10 Flights 95.1 95.1

#1 Medical Care 102.3 102.3

2019 - 2026 Index, 2019=100

Visualized by dat.city

Rows shown Zoom Range start 2019 Range end 2026 Logo speed Logo opacity Bar opacity Name size Max chars Value size

Latest ranking

2026

Index, 2019=100

#1 Gasoline 171.1

#2 Car Insurance 153.6

#3 Electricity 144

#4 Dining Out 138.8

#5 Rent 134.8

#6 Wages 134

#7 Groceries 132.8

#8 Used Cars 129.2

#9 Flights 124.3

#10 Medical Care 119

Timeline

Key moments

2019
Medical Care moves fastest
2023
Car Insurance moves fastest
2026
Gasoline moves fastest

Notes

Methodology

This story is generated from the BLS Public Data API. CPI categories and average hourly earnings are normalized to a 2019=100 index so everyday costs and wages can be compared on the same visual scale. Missing or unavailable BLS months are skipped rather than interpolated by the adapter.

Observed BLS monthly series through 2026-05. Values are indexed to 2019 averages.

Reference

Sources

BLS Public Data API — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics