Federal government employees, particularly United States Postal Service (USPS) workers and active-duty military members, receive a Cost of Living Allowance usually set at 25% of base pay because, while the cost of living has gone down, it is still one of the highest in the country.
fˈɛdɚɹəl ɡˈʌvɚnmənt ɛmplˈɔɪiːz, pɚtˈɪkjʊlɚli juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts pˈoʊstəl sˈɜːvɪs ˈʌsps wˈɜːkɚz ænd ˈæktɪvdˈuːɾi mˈɪlətˌɛɹi mˈɛmbɚz, ɹᵻsˈiːv ɐ kˈɔst ʌv lˈɪvɪŋ ɐlˈaʊəns jˈuːʒuːəli sˈɛt æt twˈɛnti fˈaɪv pɚsˈɛnt ʌv bˈeɪs pˈeɪ bɪkˈʌz, wˌaɪl ðə kˈɔst ʌv lˈɪvɪŋ hɐz ɡɔn dˈaʊn, ɪɾ ɪz stˈɪl wˈʌn ʌvðə hˈaɪɪst ɪnðə kˈʌntɹi.