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What people in United Kingdom think about Cost of Living

Local perspective from 27 sources · United Kingdom

negativeNegativeAngerFrustratedOverwhelmedConcernedStrained

Key figures

Peak inflation rate
over 11% in 2022
Food price increase
over 30% since 2022
Average monthly household expenditure
£2,701
Weekly food spending
£70.50
Percentage reducing spending on essentials
63%

Cost of Living Overview

The cost of living in the UK has become a pressing issue for many households, particularly as prices for essential goods and services continue to rise. The Cost of Living Index is a tool that compares the affordability of various regions, taking into account factors like housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare [1]. This index helps to highlight economic disparities and the financial pressures faced by households across the country.

Economic Climate

Since 2021, the UK has been grappling with high inflation rates, which peaked at over 11% in 2022, the highest in four decades [3]. This inflation has significantly impacted everyday items, with essentials like food, energy, and transport seeing the steepest price increases. For instance, food prices alone have risen by over 30% since 2022, leading many to reassess their spending habits [10] [13].

Household Spending

Households are feeling the pinch, with many reporting that they can’t keep up with rising bills for energy, petrol, and groceries [2]. The average monthly expenditure for a household is around £2,701, but this varies widely depending on income and location [12]. Key areas of spending include: Housing: 18% of weekly spending goes to housing, fuel, and power. Transport: 14% is allocated to transport costs. Food: Households spend about £70.50 weekly on food and drink [12].

Impact and Government Response

The cost-of-living crisis has led to significant changes in consumer behaviour. Many people are cutting back on non-essential items, shopping around for better deals, and even using savings to cover daily expenses [26]. Additionally, a survey revealed that 63% of Britons have had to reduce their spending on essentials [16]. Moreover, the rising costs have made it difficult for families to afford healthy food, with many opting for cheaper, less nutritious options [5]. This has raised concerns about public health and the long-term implications of poor diets [5]. In response to the ongoing crisis, the government has implemented measures such as freezing rail fares and keeping prescription charges under £10 to ease financial burdens [15]. However, many feel that more needs to be done to support low-income households, which are disproportionately affected by rising costs [22].

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How United Kingdom compares on cost of living

CountrySentimentAttitudeEmotion
United KingdomnegativeNegativeAnger
AustralianegativeNegativeFrustration
BrazilnegativeNegativeAnger
ChinanegativeNegativeAnger
FrancenegativeNegativeAnger
GeorgianegativeNegativeAnger
GermanynegativeNegativeAnger
GreecenegativeNegativeIndignation
IndonesianegativeNegativeAnger
ItalynegativeNegativeAnger
JapannegativeNegativeAnger
MexiconegativeNegativeFrustration
NetherlandsnegativeNegativeFear
PolandnegativeNegativeAnger
PortugalnegativeNegativeInsecurity
South KoreanegativeNegativeAnger
SpainnegativeNegativeFrustration
ThailandnegativeNegativeAnger
TurkeynegativeNegativeAnger
United Arab EmiratesnegativeNegativeAnger
United StatesnegativeNegativeFrustration
VietnamnegativeNegativeAnxiety

Selected local sources

  1. [1]Cost of Living Index - OCSI

    # Cost of Living Index ### Definition The Cost of Living Index compares the cost of everyday goods and services across different areas of the UK. It typically includes spending on housing, food, transport, utilities and healthcare. Unlike the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), which measures inflation ove

  2. [2]How to reduce household expenses: 10 practical ways to cut monthly costs | Ben

    ## What do we mean by "Cost of Living"? The cost of living refers to how much money you need to meet your basic needs: housing, food, utilities, transport, childcare and healthcare. But it can also include everyday expenses like clothing, phone bills or household products. In a recent survey, 1 in 5

  3. [3]How the Cost of Living Crisis is Impacting Householders | Blog | Learn Q

    ### Inflation and Its Impact on Everyday Goods The UK’s inflation rate has remained persistently high since 2021, with food, transport, and housing being the largest contributors. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), inflation peaked at over 11% in 2022, the highest level in four d

  4. [4]Americans are struggling with everyday costs including medical care and food, worrisome poll finds | The Independent

    The very real affordability crisis in the U.S. has been rejected as a “hoax” by President Donald Trump. That line has been repeated by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said Americans’ concerns about the rising cost of living are simply a “Democratic hoax” meant to undermine Trump’s

  5. [5]Our health: the price we will pay for the cost-of-living crisis | RSPH

    ### At a glance ### Key findings ### Recommendations: The cost-of-living crisis is a public health crisis and prevention of ill-health is key to ensure the financial growth and wellbeing of the nation. To ensure we are all supported to live healthier lives, more needs to be done to support household

  6. [6]Cost of living latest insights - Office for National Statistics

    ### Cookies on ons.gov.uk Cookies are small files stored on your device when you visit a website. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. We would like to set additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use the site. This helps us to improve our services. You

  7. [7][PDF] Measuring costs of living inequality during an inflation surge

    3The cost-of-living index is the proportional change in expenditure required to attain a fixed utility level at final-period prices rather than initial-period prices. Under Leontief preferences, this object coincides with the Laspeyres index based on the initial bundle. [...] The Konüs (1939) cost-o

  8. [8]Rising cost of living in the UK - The House of Commons Library

    UK food and non-alcoholic drink prices were 1.7% higher in May 2024 compared with a year before, based on the CPI measure of inflation. This continued the decline from the peak of 19.1% in March 2023, which was the highest rate of increase in food prices since 1977. Over the three years between May

  9. [9]Global Living Index | Utility Bidder

    There are so many factors that can be taken into consideration when it comes to determining the affordability of living in a country. Looking at electricity, gas, property prices, and gross national income, we have determined which countries are the most affordable to live in - here’s what we found.

  10. [10]Food Prices Tracking - The Food Foundation

    ### ### Why are we tracking this? The cost of living crisis has been making it increasingly difficult for people to be able to afford the food they need. Rising food prices are a factor affecting the affordability of food (alongside other important factors such as overall household income and other

  11. [11]Cost of Living in London: A Comprehensive Guide | Essential Living

    | Grocery Item | Average Cost (London, 2026) | --- | | Milk (1 litre) | £1.10 | | Loaf of fresh white bread (500g) | £1.60 | | Rice (white, 1kg) | £3.50 | | Eggs (12 large) | £3.00 | | Local cheese (1kg) | £9.00 | | Chicken fillets (1kg) | £8.75 | | Beef round or equivalent (1kg) | £13.80 | | Apples

  12. [12]UK Cost of Living Payment Eligibility (2026): What Caregivers and Families Need to Know - CareSyncExperts

    A useful benchmark is that the average household spends about £2,701 a month, but your own figure depends on rent, transport, household size, and location. The ONS data also shows a very wide spread: the poorest fifth spent about £1,641 a month, while the richest fifth spent about £4,111 a month. Fo

  13. [13]Food Prices Tracker: June 2026 | Food Foundation

    ## Main navigation ### Who we are ### What we do school2s moreveg balance2 happyenviro2 ### Who we work with ### Latest ### Get Involved ### Peas Please ## Social # Food Prices Tracker: June 2026 food price tracker By Finlay Hatch What’s happening to food prices in the UK? We've been tracking food p

  14. [14]Inflation and price indices - Office for National Statistics

    #### Private rent and house prices, UK: June 2026 The Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) measures private rent inflation for new and existing tenancies. The UK House Price Index (HPI) measures house price inflation. #### Household Costs Indices for UK household groups: January to March 2026 Househo

  15. [15]Help with the cost of living in 2026 - GOV.UK

    The freeze will apply to all regulated fares, including seasons, peak returns for commuters and off-peak returns between major cities, benefitting more than a billion passenger journeys across England. Commuters on some of the busiest routes will not see an increase in fares. This means that a typic

  16. [16]June 2026 universal credit, benefits and pensions dates plus cost of living support | The Independent

    The situation remains uncertain as it runs on, sparking fears that the impact on households could persist throughout 2026, and possibly beyond. Inflation dropped to 2.8 per cent in the year to April, down from 3.3 per cent in March. But experts warn that the welcome downturn will likely be short-liv

  17. [17]Cost-of-living support in 2026 | The Film and TV Charity

    ### Rail fare freeze for 2026 For the first time in 30 years, rail fare increases across England and parts of Wales will be capped for the whole of 2026. This aims to help commuters manage rising travel costs. This freeze applies to all regulated fares, including: ### Prescription charges staying un

  18. [18]UK inflation: What is the rate and why are prices still rising? - BBC News

    For example, if a bottle of milk costs £1 but is £1.05 a year later, then annual milk inflation is 5%. ## How is the UK's inflation rate measured? The prices of hundreds of everyday items, including food and fuel, are tracked by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This virtual "basket of goods

  19. [19]Supermarket prices: which is the cheapest supermarket in 2026? - Which?

    Tesco with a Clubcard knocked Asda off the top spot in this list for the first time in more than a year. Sainsbury's and Morrisons, with loyalty discounts, were next in our table. Sainsbury's without Nectar and Waitrose were the two most expensive for the longer list of groceries, at £659.85 and £67

  20. [20]Cost of living support: Overview - GOV.UK

    Consultations and strategy Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports ### Search # Cost of living support ## Contents # Overview Find out what support is available to help with the cost of living. This includes income and disability benefits, bills and allowances, childcare, housing

  21. [21]CBP-10100.pdf

    95% 68% 46% 15% 14% 7% 6% Price of food shopping has increased Energy bills have increased The price of fuel increased Price of public transport has increased Rent or mortgage costs increased Other Price of childcare and other care increased Reasons for increased cost of living Among adults in Great

  22. [22]Cost of living crisis | Institute for Government

    ### Which households are worst affected by the cost of living crisis? Some households face a higher effective inflation rate because they spend a higher share of their income on energy and food, the prices of which are increasing fastest. On average, poorer households spend more of their income on t

  23. [23][PDF] The Price We Pay: the social impact of the cost-of-living crisis

    households (defined here as in the lowest 40 per cent of households in terms of equivalised income before housing costs)22. Their most recent ‘cost-of-living tracker’ in May 2023 found that 7.3 million households (63 per cent of low-income households) were going without essentials such as food, heat

  24. [24]See how much price of 450 everyday items have risen by with new interactive tool - The Mirror

    Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "The supermarket shop is an increasingly painful experience for all of us, and you're not safe in the local takeaway or the pub either. "This new tool reveals the really horrible price rises that are laying waste to our budgets, and

  25. [25]REDI-Updates: How are Consumer Trends Changing in the Cost-Of-Living Crisis? – City-REDI Blog

    In The Living Standards Outlook 2023, the Resolution Foundation discusses the impact of the cost-of-living crisis particularly the price increase of essentials for low-income families (Brewer et.al, 2023). In November 2022: | | | 27% of adults reported using their savings for daily living expenses i

  26. [26]High cost of living: Impact on households

    Image 1: Two bar charts showing data for adults in Great Britain who report an increase in their cost of living, 4 to 29 March 2026 Chart 1: reasons for increased cost of living: Price of food shopping has increased: 92%, The price of fuel increased: 80%, Energy bills have increased: 60%, Rent or mo

  27. [27]Monthly Economic Review - June 2026

    However, and possibly a sign of things to come, transport services made the largest contribution to CPI since the end of 2022, driven by the increase in petrol prices since the beginning of March. While oil prices have eased back a little at the end of May, transport costs are likely to contribute t

Frequently asked

What do locals in United Kingdom think about cost of living?

Understanding the Cost of Living in the UK The cost of living in the UK has become a pressing issue for many households, particularly as prices for essential goods and services continue to rise. The Cost of Living Index is a tool that compares the affordability of various regions, taking into account factors like housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. This index helps to highlight economic disparities and the financial pressures faced by households across the country. Current Economic Climate Since 2021, the UK has been grappling with high inflation rates, which peaked at over 11% in 2022, the highest in four decades. This inflation has significantly impacted everyday items, with essentials like food, energy, and transport seeing the steepest price increases. For instance, food prices alone have risen by over 30% since 2022, leading many to reassess their spending habits. Everyday Prices and Household Spending Households are feeling the pinch, with many reporting that they can’t keep up with rising bills for energy, petrol, and groceries. The average monthly expenditure for a household is around £2,701, but this varies widely depending on income and location. Key areas of spending include: Housing: 18% of weekly spending goes to housing, fuel, and power. Transport: 14% is allocated to transport costs. Food: Households spend about £70.50 weekly on food and drink. Impact on Daily Life The cost-of-living crisis has led to significant changes in consumer behaviour. Many people are cutting back on non-essential items, shopping around for better deals, and even using savings to cover daily expenses. Additionally, a survey revealed that 63% of Britons have had to reduce their spending on essentials. Moreover, the rising costs have made it difficult for families to afford healthy food, with many opting for cheaper, less nutritious options. This has raised concerns about public health and the long-term implications of poor diets. Government Response and Support In response to the ongoing crisis, the government has implemented measures such as freezing rail fares and keeping prescription charges under £10 to ease financial burdens. However, many feel that more needs to be done to support low-income households, which are disproportionately affected by rising costs. Conclusion As a citizen of the United Kingdom, I believe that the cost of living crisis is one of the most significant challenges we face today. It’s not just about numbers; it’s about real people struggling to make ends meet. Many of us are feeling the strain, and it’s clear that urgent action is needed to alleviate the pressures on households across the country.

Is this based on real local sources?

Yes. This summary is drawn from 27 local-language sources about cost of living in United Kingdom, gathered and summarised by LikeLoc. Run a live search to see the latest results and sources.

Methodology

Drawn from 27 local-language sources about cost of living in United Kingdom, searched and summarised via LikeLoc on 2026-06-23. All figures and quotes come directly from those local sources. Run the live search →