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Cost of Living

What We Have

FactorIncrease
Housing Cost 536% increase in home sale prices (1980 to Q4 2025)
Rent (median)31% of income spent of rent (2024)
Healthcare18% of US GDP (2024) more than other wealthy countries.
ChildcareCosts more than public college tuition (38 states)
Wages Wages have grown far less than each factor that
drive the cost of living.

What We Want

Housing
  1. Increased housing supply.
  2. Reform restrictive zoning laws.
Healthcare
  1. Allow prescription drug price negotiation.
  2. Increase price transparency.
Competition
  1. Strengthen antitrust enforcement.
  2. Reduce excessive market concentration.
Families
  1. Expand childcare support.
  2. Strengthen child tax credits.
Economic
Stability
  1. Invest in infrastructure and productivity.
  2. Encourage wage growth through
    competitive labor markets.

What You Can Do


Act Now

Countries Top Ranked for Best Cost of Living

  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Denmark
  • Japan
  • Netherlands
  • Sweden

The Problems

CostProblem
Housing
  1. Home Prices: Median U.S. home sale prices rose from $63,700
    in 1980 to $405,300 in Q4 2025. An increase of about 536%
  2. Rent Burden: The median renter spent 31% of income on
    gross rent in 2023.
  3. Healthcare Burden on the Economy: National health spending
    reached 18.0% of GDP in 2024.
Healthcare
  1. In 2024, U.S. health spending reached 18.0% of GDP.
  2. U.S. per-person healthcare spending remained roughly
    double that of comparable wealthy countries.
  3. January 1980 to 2006, the national CPI measure for
    medical care rose about 728%.
Childcare/College Childcare is one of the largest expenses many families face
and now exceeds public college tuition in 38 states
and Washington, D.C.
Rent
  1. In 2024, the median renter spent 31% of income on gross rent.
  2. Since January 1980, the national CPI measure for rent of
    primary residence rose about 469%.
Productivity vs Pay
  1. From 1979 Q4 to 2025 Q4, productivity rose 92.4%
  2. Typical worker pay rose 33.6%.
Cost Trend Since 1980, standard national measures show rent, medical
care, and tuition/childcare costs rising far faster than wages,
though exact percentages vary by series.
Living Expenses Average annual expenditures were $78,535 per consumer unit in 2024.

Cost of Living Growth vs Wage Growth 1980-2025

Next: Executive Summary

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