The Cost of Living

The cost of living is about more than one monthly bill.

For Nebraska families, affordability is the combined cost of housing, child care, groceries, gas, health care, utilities, and other necessities. When several of these costs rise at the same time, even families with steady employment can find it increasingly difficult to keep up.

Federal economic policies can influence many of these costs—directly and indirectly.

Our work looks at the data behind those changes and helps explain what they mean for household budgets across Nebraska.