Cost of LivingUSA

Privacy Policy

Your privacy matters to us. This policy explains how we handle your information.

Last updated: June 2026

1. Overview

Cost of Living USA (https://costoflivingusa.com) is committed to protecting your privacy. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use our website and comparison tools, in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and other applicable privacy laws.

2. Data Controller

3. Information We Collect

Browsing Data

We use Plausible Analytics, a privacy-friendly analytics service that does not use cookies, does not collect personal data, does not store IP addresses, does not use fingerprinting, and is fully compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and PECR. We collect only aggregate data such as page views, referral sources, device types, and general geographic regions (country-level). No individual visitors can be identified from the collected data.

Calculator and Comparison Tool Inputs

Our comparison tools operate using publicly available cost of living data. Any selections you make (city choices, category filters) are processed in your browser or reflected in URL parameters for sharing purposes. No personal financial data is collected, stored, or transmitted to our servers.The technical architecture is designed according to the principle of "privacy by design."

Information You Provide

If you contact us via email, we may collect your email address, name, and the content of your message. This information is used solely to respond to your inquiry and is not shared with third parties.

URL Parameters

When you use our tools, your selections may be encoded in the page URL (e.g., ?city=NewYork&compare=LosAngeles) to enable sharing. This data exists only in your browser's address bar and is not transmitted to or stored on our servers.

Server Log Files

Our hosting provider (GitHub Pages) may automatically collect standard server log files including browser type, operating system, referrer URL, hostname, time of request, and IP address (anonymized). This data is used for security purposes and is automatically deleted. It is not merged with other data sources.

4. Cookies and Local Storage

Cost of Living USA does not use tracking cookies. No advertising, profiling, or third-party cookies are placed. The only data stored in your browser is your theme preference (via localStorage), which is not a cookie and is not transmitted to any server.

localStorage is a local storage mechanism provided by the HTML5 standard. Data stored in localStorage remains on your device and is never sent to external servers. You can clear localStorage data at any time through your browser settings. Since no tracking cookies are used, a cookie consent banner is not legally required.

5. Third-Party Services

This website is hosted on GitHub Pages, a service provided by GitHub, Inc. GitHub may collect minimal technical data as part of their hosting service. See GitHub's privacy statement.

Plausible Analytics processes all data on servers within the European Union. For more information: https://plausible.io/data-policy.

We do not integrate any third-party services that profile users. There are no social media buttons, advertising widgets, remarketing services, or other tools that allow third parties to track users.

6. Your Rights Under CCPA (California Residents)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

  • Know what personal information we collect about you
  • Request deletion of your personal information
  • Opt out of the sale of your personal information (we do not sell personal data)
  • Not be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights

Since we do not collect personal information through our comparison tools, these rights are effectively exercised by default. We do not sell, trade, or transfer personal data to third parties.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR (EU Users)

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, EU users have the following rights:

  • Right of access(Art. 15) — obtain confirmation of whether personal data is being processed.
  • Right to rectification(Art. 16) — obtain correction of inaccurate data.
  • Right to erasure(Art. 17) — obtain deletion of personal data.
  • Right to restriction(Art. 18) — restrict processing in certain cases.
  • Right to portability(Art. 20) — receive data in a machine-readable format.
  • Right to object(Art. 21) — object to processing on grounds relating to your situation.
  • Right to withdraw consent(Art. 7) — withdraw consent at any time.
  • Right to lodge a complaint(Art. 77) — lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

Since no personal data is collected through our tools, these rights are currently not applicable in practice. For any enquiry, contact us at contact@costoflivingusa.com. We undertake to respond within 30 days.

8. State Privacy Laws

We comply with applicable state privacy laws including the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CTDPA), and Utah Consumer Privacy Act (UCPA).

9. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

10. Data Security

Our website is served over a secure HTTPS connection that encrypts all data in transit. Appropriate technical and organizational measures are implemented to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. The current version is always available on this page.

12. Contact

For privacy-related questions or to exercise your rights, contact us at: contact@costoflivingusa.com.