The St. Cloud area experienced an average annual cost of living for the year of 2015, based on a cost of living index study.

President of St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce Teresa Bohnen says the area cost of living index for the year of 2015 is garnered and released by the Council for Community and Economic Research. The index determines regional differences in the cost of consumer goods and services excluding taxes and non-consumer expenditures.

Grocery items in St. Cloud were the only item measured that cost much more than other Minnesota and Midwest cities at 111.8 percent. However, the cost of housing is at 77.7 percent almost 35 percent cheaper than it is in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.