CostAPI MCP Server

Cost of living and price index data for 190+ countries. Query CPI time series, compare purchasing power parity across countries, explore US metro area prices, and analyze Eurostat HICP data. Data sourced from BLS, Eurostat, World Bank, OECD, and BEA.

Installation

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aethar-cost-of-living": {
      "url": "https://col.wageapi.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

Add to .claude/settings.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aethar-cost-of-living": {
      "url": "https://col.wageapi.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Open Settings > MCP Servers > Add Server:

{
  "aethar-cost-of-living": {
    "url": "https://col.wageapi.com/api/mcp",
    "headers": {
      "X-API-Key": "your_api_key_here"
    }
  }
}

VS Code (Copilot MCP)

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "aethar-cost-of-living": {
      "url": "https://col.wageapi.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

CPI Tools

Tool	Description
`list_countries_v1_cpi_countries_get`	List all countries with CPI data (paginated).
`get_country_v1_cpi_countries__country_code__get`	Get CPI data for a specific country with category breakdown.
`get_country_history_v1_cpi_countries__country_code__history_get`	Get CPI time series for a country with date range and category filters.
`list_categories_v1_cpi_categories_get`	List available CPI category codes.
`compare_countries_v1_cpi_compare_get`	Compare CPI across 2-20 countries.

PPP Tools

Tool	Description
`list_countries_v1_ppp_countries_get`	List all countries with PPP data.
`get_country_v1_ppp_countries__country_code__get`	Get PPP conversion factors for a country.
`compare_countries_v1_ppp_compare_get`	Compare PPP across multiple countries.

Prices Tools

Tool	Description
`list_metro_areas_v1_prices_us_metro_areas_get`	List US metro areas with price data.
`get_metro_area_v1_prices_us_metro_areas__area_code__get`	Get price data for a US metro area.
`get_item_v1_prices_us_items__item_code__get`	Get item prices across US metro areas.

Intelligence Tools (Semantic)

Tool	Description
`compare_cost_of_living_v1_compare_cost_of_living_get`	Compare cost of living between two locations (natural language).
`cheapest_cities_v1_cheapest_cities_get`	Find cheapest countries in a region.
`purchasing_power_v1_purchasing_power_get`	Calculate purchasing power of a salary in another location.
`cost_breakdown_v1_cost_breakdown_get`	Get detailed cost breakdown for a location vs baseline.

Example Prompts

These prompts work directly with Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible AI client:

"Compare the cost of living between Berlin and Warsaw for someone earning EUR 75,000"
"How much more expensive is Tokyo than Seoul?"
"What are the 10 cheapest EU countries to live in?"
"What salary do I need in San Francisco to match my $80K lifestyle in Austin?"
"How far does a $100K salary go in Germany vs the US?"
"Show me the CPI trend for the US over the last 3 years"
"Compare grocery prices across New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles metro areas"
"Calculate the purchasing power of JPY 8,000,000 if I move from Tokyo to Bangkok"

Authentication

All tools require an API key. Get one at RapidAPI or wageapi.com.

Pass the key via the X-API-Key header in your MCP server configuration (see installation instructions above).

Part of Workforce Data Suite

CostAPI works alongside WageAPI (US and EU salary benchmarking for 1,400+ occupations). Both are available as MCP servers. Configure both for comprehensive salary + cost-of-living analysis.

License

The MCP server endpoint is provided as part of CostAPI. Source code is proprietary.

CostAPI