Glossary · Macro · Inflation

Consumer price index (CPI)

The cost of a fixed basket of goods a typical household buys, expressed relative to a base year set at 100. If the basket cost 100 in the base year and 105 now, the CPI is 105 and prices are up 5 percent.

Also called: CPI, cost of living index

Related terms

More from inflation

Definitions are the start

See the term used, not just defined.

The full course teaches every term in context, with worked examples, interactive graphs and practice questions that remember what you get wrong.