EAU CLAIRE, WI – According to a report released by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), Eau Claire has an overall cost of living of 94.4 for the third quarter of 2018. Published since 1968, the C2ER Cost of Living Index has been the most consistent and trusted source of city-to-city cost comparisons available. The national average equals 100 and each participant’s index is a percentage of the average for all places. The lower the cost of living index, the cheaper goods and services are in that area.

Prices of consumer goods and services are collected by Eau Claire’s Economic Development Division three times a year in order to measure regional differences. The composite index is based on the prices of standardized goods and services in six weighted categories – housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services.

Eau Claire’s composite index of 94.4 is tied for the second lowest among participating Wisconsin urban areas. Eau Claire’s cost of housing remained the most affordable category relative to other cities, with a housing index of 75.9 that ranked the lowest of the six participating Wisconsin urban areas and represented a decline from 76.2 in Quarter Two. Eau Claire’s grocery cost index of 95.9 also ranks below the national average.

The full report is available upon request.