Free Cost of Living Index API 2026 — Developer Documentation

Access our cost of living index programmatically via our free REST API. No API key required.

Quick Start

Base URL: https://costoflivingindex.net/wp-json/coldata/v1/

Authentication: None required (public API)

Rate Limit: 60 requests per minute

Format: JSON

Endpoints

GET /coldata/v1/compare

Compare cost of living between two cities

Parameters: city1, city2

Example:

https://costoflivingindex.net/wp-json/coldata/v1/compare?city1=new-york&city2=london

GET /coldata/v1/cities

List all cities with cost index

Parameters: sort

Example:

https://costoflivingindex.net/wp-json/coldata/v1/cities?sort=cheapest

GET /coldata/v1/index

Full cost breakdown for one city

Parameters: city

Example:

https://costoflivingindex.net/wp-json/coldata/v1/index?city=san-francisco

GET /coldata/v1/ranking

Ranked list of cities by cost

Parameters: sort, limit

Example:

https://costoflivingindex.net/wp-json/coldata/v1/ranking?sort=cheapest&limit=20

Response Format

All endpoints return JSON with these common fields:

{
  "source": "https://costoflivingindex.net",
  "last_updated": "2026-04-08",
  "disclaimer": "Data estimated from 2026 research."
}

Usage Terms

  • Free to use for personal and commercial projects
  • Attribution required — include a link to https://costoflivingindex.net as your data source
  • No warranty — data is provided as-is for reference
  • Rate limit — please limit to 60 requests per minute

Need Help?

Questions about the API? Contact us.

API Version 1.0 | Last updated: April 2026