living expenses; cost of living
A formal, literary expression for the money needed to cover daily necessities, literally 'resources for rice and salt'. Rare in modern conversation; found in older texts or elevated writing.
He worked from morning till night to earn his living expenses.
From classical Chinese, literally 'resources for rice and salt', referring to the basic necessities of life. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the expression is conventionally associated with the cost of daily sustenance.