Cost of Living in Eau Claire

With rising costs of inflation affecting the entire nation, it is important to find a place that is affordable to live and raise a family. In order to determine how Eau Claire's living costs compare to other cities, we routinely participate in the nationwide Cost of Living Index, a government-recognized survey that accurately and reliably compares individual city data. Every quarter we collect prices from local retailers and service providers in order to give current and prospective residents important information about Cost of Living in Eau Claire.

Eau Claire

Eau Claire's cost of living was low compared to the rest of the nation in 2018. Comparing the 2018 Annual Average Data, Eau Claire (93.5) ranks significantly lower in cost of living than Minneapolis (106.9) and Madison (105.9). The national average is 100. Here is a comparison to other Wisconsin cities:

Cost of Living Index-2019 Annual Average Data

City Index
Eau Claire 96.4
Fond du Lac 96.0
Green Bay 90.8
Wisconsin-Rapids-Marshfield 92.0
Madison 106.6

Source: C2ER (www.coli.org)

Long-Term Trend in Eau Claire

Throughout our time of participation in the survey, Eau Claire's cost of living has consistently ranked below the national average. According to the final 2018 data readings, Eau Claire received an overall ranking of 93.5, which was well under the national average of 100 and declined from 95.1 in 2017. Low cost of living is advantageous for the city as well as its residents and encourages cultural diversity.

Eau Claire Long-Term Trend

Time 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Q1 97.3 93.2 95.8 90.1 88.6 91 93.9 98.9 95.5 96.6 93.9
Q2 94.4 92.7 93.2 89.4 92.0 90 94.8 95.8 93.0 94.8 92.9
Q3 91.3 92.7 92.9 91.0 90.4 94.3 91.9 96.3 95.3 93.3 94.4
Annual 94.4 93.2 93.6 90.2 91.0 91.7 93.3 97.0 95.0 95.1 93.5

Source: C2ER (www.coli.org)