CI TacoIndexAffordability, in tacos
About

An affordability index, in tacos.

TacoIndex.com tracks taco affordability across U.S. cities using a simple, understandable measure: how many tacos one hour of local work can buy.

What this site does

TacoIndex.com publishes a single, transparent affordability ranking across 33 U.S. metros. The headline metric — tacos per hour — is the local median hourly wage divided by the local average taco price.

It is a consumer-friendly cousin to The Economist's Big Mac Index: one familiar good, one wage measure, one number per place.

What this site does not do

It is not an inflation gauge, not a substitute for the Consumer Price Index, and not a commercial price feed. Taco prices are representative midpoints, not market quotations.

The index is most useful as an intuitive way to compare relative purchasing power across U.S. metros — not to track month-over-month price moves.

Part of Clay Indices

TacoIndex.com is one of several methodologies and indices published under the Clay Indices umbrella. Related projects with a consumer-affordability angle:

TimePriceIndex.com A cost-of-living index measured in hours of work, across a fixed basket of 25 U.S. consumer goods and services. Base year 1980 = 100. TrueCostIndex.com The cost to society of ordinary things, measured in physical units — carbon dioxide, water, land, energy — not converted into dollars. ClayIndices.com The umbrella site for the full family of methodologies, definitions, and equity indices.

How to use this site

  • Browse the rankings to see every city in the index sorted by taco affordability.
  • Open a city detail page to see the average price, median wage, and the named taquerias behind that city's number.
  • Read the methodology for the formula, the wage source, the taco price construction, and per-city caveats.
  • Submit a price if you know one of the figures is off, or if you want to add a taqueria.
Independence. TacoIndex.com is an independent affordability research project. It is not affiliated with any taqueria, food brand, restaurant chain, or government agency cited on the site.