Since the pandemic, we’ve weathered energy shocks, rent hikes, food price surges, and the kind of grocery checkout moments that make you do a double take. And just when it seemed things couldn’t get tighter, interest rates and utility bills decided to join the party. But the latest Ipsos Cost of Living Monitor (2025) hints at something we haven’t felt in a while: relief.
Not joy. Not comfort. But a little less tension in the shoulders.
Around the world, more people are saying they’re “doing alright” financially (37% globally, up from 33% last year). That’s a small win - but one that still comes with an undercurrent of worry. Because even as we start to catch our breath, most of us are quietly asking: for how long?
U.S. Financial Comfort on the Rise: 43% Say They’re ‘Doing Alright’
Let’s start with the good news: more people say they’re managing okay. The Ipsos report spans 30 countries, and the headline is surprisingly positive: 37% of people now say they’re living comfortably or at least doing fine, up from 33% last year.
Here in the United States, 43% of people say they’re “comfortable” or “doing alright” financially - a modest rise from 39% at the end of 2024. That’s the highest level of financial comfort Americans has reported since Ipsos began tracking this in 2022.
But that doesn’t mean everyone’s breathing easy. Even with paychecks stretching a bit further, everyday costs still feel steep. Food, rent, and childcare remain big stress points - and optimism about the year ahead is still shaky.
For example, in other countries surveyed like France and Sweden, many expect their disposable income to shrink in the coming months. And in the U.S., 36% of people expect their own standard of living to decline in the next year showing that financial uncertainty hasn’t gone away.
We’re not struggling the way we were, but we’re not relaxed either. It’s progress, just wrapped in uncertainty.
Inflation: the lingering worry
If 2022 was the year everyone became an expert on inflation, 2025 is the year we’re still talking about it.
In the United States, about 65% of people think inflation will rise again in the next year - up 14 percentage points from last year. Many Americans say prices still feel high, even though official inflation rates have slowed.
And honestly, it’s hard to blame anyone for feeling skeptical. Sure, inflation might be “under control” on paper, but most of us don’t feel that at the checkout counter. Groceries, gas, and housing costs still feel high for many Americans: food prices overall were about 3% higher than a year ago, housing costs rose nearly 4%, and pump prices continue to influence household budgets even as inflation fluctuates, and “getting by” has become a daily balancing act.
It’s a kind of “inflation fatigue”: we’re not panicking anymore, but we’re certainly not celebrating either.
Still feels like a recession, doesn’t It?
Here’s something Ipsos has tracked for a while: even when economies show signs of growth, many people still feel like they’re in a recession.
That’s true in the U.S., too. Despite low unemployment and cooling inflation, 48% of Americans believe the country is currently in recession, while only 30% think it isn’t. It’s less about the national numbers and more about the daily reality - bills, savings, and that shrinking bit of “extra.”
When everyday life still feels tight, talking about “economic recovery” can sound distant.
The “Uneasy Decade” Continues
If you’ve followed Ipsos’ research since 2022, you’ll recognize this theme: uncertainty has become a defining part of life.
The 2025 results show that Americans like people elsewhere are adapting. We’re finding ways to manage higher costs, whether that means cutting back, switching brands, or delaying big purchases. But confidence hasn’t fully returned.
So yes, we’re coping better. But there’s still an underlying sense that the ground could shift again at any time.
Over to you: How are you Feeling?
That’s what makes our community so special - your voices help make sense of what the numbers really mean.
Do you feel like things are improving for you personally? Are you more optimistic this year, or are you still tightening the budget?
Share your thoughts in our next survey and help shape how we understand the cost of living around the world. Because while the data tells one story, your experiences make it real.
*Source: Ipsos Study, conducted on 23,772 adults 18-75 y.o., across 30 countries, interviewed between Friday, August 22, and Friday, September 5, 2025.
