ACCRA cost of living index

Abstract

In business reference, pricing data can be particularly difficult to find especially for specific geographic regions. The Cost of Living Index (COLI) is a dataset that provides answers to some of these more difficult questions. COLI is compiled by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) every quarter. It is intended to measure the difference between the cost of living in different geographic areas of the United States. Areas included are those with chambers of commerce that volunteer to participate. The averages are calculated based on the reported expenditure patterns for households with incomes in the top 20%. COLI reports spending across broad categories such as groceries and housing as well as the average pricing of specific goods and services in a particular area such as a newspaper or shampoo.