SACOSS

SACOSS Cost of Living Update

ISSN 1836-5248 (Print)
ISSN 1836-5256 (Online)

No. 1, July 2009

No. 2, December 2009

No. 3 Summary Report, August 2010

No. 3, August 2010

No. 4, November 2010

No. 5, February 2011

No. 6, May 2011

No. 7, August 2011

No. 8, November 2011

No. 9, February 2012

The SACOSS Cost of Living Update is a series of papers exploring the real cost of living in South Australia.

Each Update includes an explanation of our methodology for the analysis of the core essentials, and exploration of some income sources. By showing the ways in which core expenses can be calculated, it provides a template for future work in these areas. Most of all, through research and data analysis, the Updates show that it is the ‘big four’ expenses of housing, food, energy and transport, that shape the ability or inability of individuals, families and households to participate fully in society.

The Updates show that in order to correctly gauge rises in the cost of living, a number of key expense areas need to be viewed in conjunction with the traditional Consumer Price Index-focussed approach. By using the ‘All Groups CPI’ we get an average figure across both essential and discretionary items that can mask the true increases in essentials that low income households experience.

On 19 October 2011 SACOSS held a one-day Cost of Living Summit.

Read the Summit Report here (released December 2011)