In selecting the appropriate indicator we need to balance the information it provides with the cost of constructing it. As in the case of other indicators of human development in the Arctic, we face important trade-offs in devising the material well-being indicators. Compromises will need to be made to achieve good indicators that are obtainable at a reasonable cost in terms of time and resources, and these may be made at the cost of constructing an ideal yet probably unattainable indicator.