Terms of Service

Last updated: April 22, 2026

Welcome to CostOfLiving.data. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of uscostofliving.com (the "Site") operated by Louis Sudre ("the Editor", "we", "us", "our"). By accessing or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

1. Description of the Service

CostOfLiving.data is a free, independent, data-driven information Site that aggregates and presents publicly available US cost of living data — including median incomes, rents, home values, regional prices, and climate normals — for over 32,000 US cities, 33,000 zip codes, and 52 states. The Site also provides comparison tools, rankings, and editorial guides.

2. No Financial, Legal, or Relocation Advice

The information presented on the Site is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not, and should not be construed as, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, real-estate advice, or a recommendation to relocate, invest, or make any specific decision. Cost of living conditions vary greatly by individual circumstances, lifestyle, and household composition. Before making any significant decision based on data presented on the Site, you should consult qualified professionals and verify information against authoritative sources.

3. Data Accuracy and Disclaimer

Data on the Site is aggregated from authoritative third-party sources, including the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Zillow Research, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). While we make reasonable efforts to keep the data current and accurate, we:

• Do not guarantee that the data is free from errors, omissions, or outdated values.
• Make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability of the Site or the information contained on it.
• Are not responsible for decisions made based on the data.

The Site is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without any warranty of any kind.

4. Intellectual Property

4.1 Our content

The Site's design, layout, editorial content, original prose, rankings methodology, article text, visual elements, and source code are the property of the Editor or its licensors and are protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and intellectual property laws. You may not copy, reproduce, republish, or redistribute substantial portions of the Site's editorial content without prior written permission.

4.2 Underlying data

The raw cost of living data displayed on the Site is derived from US government sources that are generally in the public domain, or from licensed providers such as Zillow (used under their research data license with attribution). Derived datasets produced by the Editor (including calculated indices and rankings) are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). If you reuse our data, you must provide clear attribution with a link back to uscostofliving.com.

4.3 Third-party marks

All trademarks, service marks, and trade names referenced on the Site (including but not limited to US Census Bureau, Zillow, HUD, BEA, BLS, NOAA, Google) are the property of their respective owners. Their mention does not imply endorsement.

5. Acceptable Use

When using the Site, you agree not to:

• Use automated tools, scripts, scrapers, or bots to systematically download or copy large portions of the Site without prior written permission.
• Interfere with, disrupt, or impose an unreasonable load on the Site's infrastructure (including any form of denial-of-service activity).
• Attempt to bypass any security or rate-limiting mechanisms.
• Use the Site or its data to construct any form of mailing list, lead database, or marketing directory.
• Redistribute the Site's content in a way that could be mistaken for the original Site or misrepresent its source.
• Use the Site for any unlawful purpose or in violation of these Terms.

If you wish to access our data at scale for research, journalism, or commercial purposes, please contact us to discuss a licensing or partnership arrangement.

6. Third-Party Links and Services

The Site contains links to external websites and relies on third-party services (including Google Analytics and Google AdSense). We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or terms of these external sites or services. Your interactions with any third party are governed by that third party's own terms and policies.

7. Advertising

The Site displays advertising through Google AdSense to support its free operation. We do not endorse any advertised product or service, and the display of any ad does not constitute a recommendation. Please review the Privacy Policy for information on how advertising cookies are used.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, in no event will the Editor, its affiliates, or its data providers be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenues, data, or goodwill arising from or related to:

• Your access to, use of, or inability to access the Site.
• Any decision you make, or action you take, based on information obtained from the Site.
• Any unauthorized access to or alteration of your transmissions or data.
• Any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions in the Site's content.

In jurisdictions that do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Editor from any claim, demand, liability, damage, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of your use of the Site, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of a third party.

10. DMCA / Copyright Notices

If you believe that any material on the Site infringes your copyright, please send a notice in accordance with the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to contact@uscostofliving.com with:

• Your contact information (name, address, phone, email).
• A description of the copyrighted work.
• The URL of the allegedly infringing material.
• A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorized.
• A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.
• Your physical or electronic signature.

11. Termination

We reserve the right to block access to the Site to any user who violates these Terms or applicable law. Since the Site does not require registration, termination simply means ending your access.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may revise these Terms at any time. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the Site after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If changes are material, we will attempt to highlight them on the homepage or through a banner.

13. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of France, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms shall be submitted to the competent courts of Paris, France, except where mandatory consumer protection rules require otherwise in your country of residence.

14. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

15. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Reach us at:

• Email: contact@uscostofliving.com
• Contact form: https://uscostofliving.com/contact