For Editors — TL;DR
What: CostOfCity is an editorially independent cost-of-living research platform covering 301+ US cities and 62 expense categories. Founded: 2025 by Hakkı Eren. Data: BLS, U.S. Census Bureau, HUD, EIA, IRS — official only. Editorial leadership: James Okafor (Editor-in-Chief). Last data verification: May 2026. Funding: Display advertising and affiliate links; editorial team operates independently of advertising team. Open data: All cost figures on the site are free to cite with attribution.
Citable Statistics
Use these on the record with attribution: “CostOfCity, May 2026”.
On-the-Record Quotes
These quotes are pre-cleared for direct use. For new interviews or custom quotes, contact press@costofcity.com (24-hour response).
“Cost-of-living information has been gatekept for too long behind paywalled relocation reports and outdated regional indices. Federal data is public — we make it readable for everyone facing a real decision.”
“Our index methodology aligns with the same six-category framework C2ER uses for the Cost of Living Index. The difference is open access and city-level depth that most consumer sources don't publish.”
“No city, real-estate company, or service provider ever pays to alter our rankings or cost figures. Every estimate is sourced, modeled, and peer-reviewed by a subject-matter analyst before publication.”
Spokespeople
Subject-matter analysts available for interview, expert quotes, and data background briefings.
How to Cite CostOfCity
In text (news article)
CostOfCity, “Cost of Living in [City], [State] (May 2026)”, https://costofcity.com/cities/[city]/
Academic / data citation
CostOfCity (2026). City-level cost-of-living indices and category cost estimates. Derived from BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, U.S. Census ACS, HUD FMR, and EIA SEDS. Retrieved May 2026 from https://costofcity.com.
No paywall, no permission needed for quoting cost figures with attribution. For embedding our charts or data widgets, see our embed gallery.
Brand Assets
Logo files, brand colors, and one-line descriptions for editorial use.
Wordmark: CostOfCity (single word, both C's capitalized). Brand color: primary blue. SVG logo at /og-image.svg.
CostOfCity is an editorially independent cost-of-living research platform covering 301+ US cities, sourced from BLS, Census, HUD, and EIA data.