The cost of living is the average amount of money we each need to cover basic expenses – such as food and housing. Everyone is affected when costs rise, but the impact will be greatest for people who are already under financial pressure.
The cost of living has increased nationally and locally. Energy, water and fuel prices, council tax and other areas of household expenditure rose during 2022.
Many people will face the equivalent of a real-term pay cut as the increase in costs (inflation) exceeds increases in wages.
This is a rapidly changing area, so use the cost of living dashboard as well as the cost of living report (written in April 2022). The dashboard is regularly updated with recent figures to give a more up-to-date picture of the cost of living in Suffolk and England.
Do you need support with the cost of living?
Cost of Living report
Briefings on the cost of living in Suffolk
Useful links
- Citizen's Advice cost of living dashboard (updated monthly)
- A new index measuring the cost of living crisis: April 2022 (The Centre for Progressive Policy)
- The cost of living, current and upcoming work: March 2022 (Office for National Statistics)
- Income, spending and wealth: how do you compare? (Office for National Statistics)
- Economic activity and social change in the UK, real-time indicators (Office for National Statistics)
- How is inflation affecting your household costs? (Office for National Statistics)
- Transformation of consumer price statistics: April 2022 (Office for National Statistics)
- The cost of a child reports (Child Poverty Action Group)