"The Cost of Living" is a science fiction novel by the American writer Robert Shackley. In this book, he talks about a future society where each person is valued for their economic utility. The main character finds himself in an ideal city, where every aspect of life is subject to the laws of the market economy. He is looking for a way out of this system, where the problems of poverty, inequality and loss of humanity are worsening. The reader will have to think deeply about the price of human existence and the question of true values. "The Cost of Life" leaves behind many questions and encourages thinking about the future of our world.