The Cost of Living Database (CLD) provides county-level estimates of the cost of living for different family types using a basic set of expenses. This includes housing, utilities, childcare, health insurance, food, transportation, and other miscellaneous expenses.

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Further, the CLD is used in our CLIFF dashboards, which help simulate the challenges of real families. Costs are an important consideration when calculating eligibility because public assistance programs often allow for deductions of certain expenses such as housing, utilities, and childcare.