Glossary · Financial

Cost of Living Index (COL Index)

Relative cost benchmark vs. a national baseline.

Definition

A cost of living index expresses local prices for housing, transportation, food, and services relative to a national baseline of 100. A COL of 130 means costs are 30% above national average.

How SalaryScopePro uses this term

We surface cost of living index (col index) across salary results, occupation pages, city pages, and Premium Reports — with consistent definitions and methodology. See methodology and data sources for how the underlying numbers are computed.