Cost of Living

Your monthly "cost of living" is an average of your typical expenses for one month. It covers food, housing, clothing, and entertainment...and, at Status 1 or higher, servants, if this is customary in your society.

Your cost of living depends on your Status. The Cost of Living Table gives a "generic" cost of living for each Status level; you must normally pay this at the beginning of each month. However, the GM is free to vary both the amount of money involved and the payment scheme; for instance, he could ask for half at the start of the month and half in the middle.

In most game worlds, you may opt to pay the cost of living for a Status level higher or lower than your own (but never more than Status 8 or less than Status -2). This affects how NPCs react to you, and may have other effects as well.

Living below your Status saves you money, but has negative repercussions. Depending on the level you drop to, these might include unpaid servants quitting, threats from your landlord, malnutrition, eviction, or anything else the GM feels appropriate. The GM may also reduce your effective Status to the level you're supporting in any situation where your reduced circumstances would cause a negative reaction; e.g., at a "society" function or when meeting strangers who do not recognize your face.

Living above your Status costs more, but gives you a more comfortable lifestyle. It might even let you pose as someone of higher Status – although the GM is free to require a Savoir-Faire (High Society) skill roll as well. But be aware that claiming more Status than you actually possess can lead to a reaction penalty! Actually living above your Status can earn you a bad Reputation – or even qualify as an Odious Personal Habit.

If you get Status free from Rank, you need only pay the cost of living for your Status before this bonus, not for your final Status level. Someone else – your organization, the taxpayers, etc. – covers the difference.

Example: A person from a good family (Status 1) who becomes president of a sizable country (Status 7) does not need to pay $60 million per month to support the associated lifestyle: personal jet liner, multiple mansions, security service, etc. He pays only the $1,200 per month for Status 1; the state pays the difference. Someone who just wanted to live in a presidential style would have to pay the full amount himself!

If you're on vacation or traveling for most of a month, your expenses will be higher – usually about six times your cost of living, unless you have a Claim to Hospitality.

Inns, Hotels, and Other Temporary Accommodations

When living away from home, you must pay a daily cost of living equal to 20% of your usual monthly cost of living – but if you wish, you can live at one level below your Status without meaningful repercussions. The quality of your accommodations depends on Status. In the modern world, Status -1 means a dingy flophouse; Status 0, a typical hotel or motel; Status 1, a good hotel; Status 2, a luxury hotel suite; and Status 3 and higher, a swanky resort.

You can also use this price tag as a guideline for how much it costs to entertain guests at the Status to which they're accustomed, and as a rough guide to suitable bribes.

Food

Cost of living assumes that you buy groceries and that you, your family, or your staff prepares your meals at home – or that if you always eat out, it's at places one level below your Status. When you eat out or purchase travel rations, use these guidelines. Treat Status greater than 3 as Status 3, except in unusual cases.

Restaurant: 1% of cost of living for breakfast or lunch, or 2% for dinner, based on the Status of the restaurant's typical patron.

Travel Rations: 5% of cost of living for one week. Weighs 14 lbs.

Liquor: 1% of cost of living per bottle.

See Also

• Clothing
• What Cost of Living Gets You