PriceWeather uses sourced, dated, and reproducible data. Every number in every report traces back to a specific public source, with a specific refresh cadence. No anonymous submissions. Anything we calculate ourselves is labeled as a PriceWeather estimate.
Every metric on every PriceWeather report is subject to four rules:
We use public and authoritative sources only. PriceWeather is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or partnered with any of the organizations listed below — we cite their data with appropriate attribution.
Tools like Numbeo and Expatistan rely heavily on anonymous user submissions. That approach creates specific problems we structurally avoid:
Their approach: anonymous user submissions can be manipulated by anyone with an agenda — a landlord bumping their city's rent numbers, a chamber of commerce boosting a positive metric.
Our approach: sourced data only. Every number traces back to a named public dataset. Community signals (when we introduce them) are visibly labeled separately and never mixed with authoritative data.
Their approach: vague metric definitions like "meal at a good restaurant" mean different things to different users.
Our approach: every metric names exactly what it measures and the period it covers, so you know what you're comparing.
Their approach: stale prices from years ago that no one has refreshed, with no visible timestamp on the metric.
Our approach: every number in a report shows its source and date. Out-of-date data is refreshed or left out before we publish.
Their approach: the "crime index" is a survey of resident perception, not an actual crime count.
Our approach: we use official crime statistics and never blend resident-perception surveys into them. If we show both, they're labeled separately.
Their approach: metro-level averages hide material ZIP-level variance.
Our approach: we use the finest geography each source publishes (ZIP, city, county, or metro) and say which one. Metro averages can hide big local differences, and we flag that.
Every metric on a PriceWeather report can be traced back to its origin. If you ever see a number you'd like to verify:
Email hello@priceweather.com with the city, metric, and date you're checking. We'll reply within 5 business days with the specific source, the refresh cadence, and the calculation methodology behind that figure.
This isn't a marketing promise — it's a commitment to reproducibility. If we can't trace it, we shouldn't have published it.
When we materially change how we source or calculate metrics — for example, adding a new data provider, changing tier definitions, or updating refresh cadences — we update this page with a new "last reviewed" date and log the change in our internal audit trail. Subscribers to the biweekly Price Weather Report receive an email notification for material changes.
For any questions about our methodology, our data sources, or our approach to a specific metric, contact us at hello@priceweather.com or through the contact form.