Terms & Conditions

Effective Date: August 22, 2025

These Terms & Conditions (the “Terms”) form a binding agreement between you and the entity or entities that operate the Citycost.org platform (collectively, “Citycost,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Citycost Operators”). By using Citycost.org, our apps, APIs, datasets, widgets, emails, or other services (collectively, the “Services”), you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Services.

1.1 Operators. “Citycost Operators” means any companies, affiliates, entities, or persons that operate, control, maintain, or provide the Services, now or in the future, individually or in any combination, whether directly or through contractors or service providers. The composition of the Citycost Operators may change without notice.

1.2 Continuity. Your agreement is with the Citycost Operator(s) responsible for the Service you use. The identity, corporate domicile, and contact details of a specific Operator may vary by product, geography, and time and may be updated without notice. This does not affect the continuing validity of these Terms.

1.3 Assignment. We may assign, novate, or transfer these Terms, in whole or in part, to any Citycost Operator or successor without notice. You may not assign or transfer any rights or obligations hereunder without our prior written consent.

2.1 Supplemental Terms. Additional terms, policies, rules, or conditions made available through the Services are incorporated by reference.

2.2 Modifications. We may update these Terms at any time by posting a revised version with a new Effective Date. Changes are effective upon posting; your continued use constitutes acceptance. If you do not agree, discontinue use.

3. Eligibility & Accounts

3.1 Eligibility. You must be at least the age of majority in your jurisdiction (and in any case not less than 16) to use the Services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. The Services are not intended for children.

3.2 Account Registration. Provide accurate, current information and keep your credentials secure. You are responsible for all activity under your account.

3.3 Verification. Where required, you agree to provide additional information or documentation for verification, compliance, or security purposes. We may refuse, suspend, or terminate accounts at our sole discretion.

4.1 Mixed‑Source Content. The Services provide estimates, guides, comparisons, and other information on cities, costs, and related topics. Content may come from users, public sources, and machine‑learning systems (“AI Content”).

4.2 AI Training & Use of Data. To operate and improve the Services, Citycost may collect, analyze, store, and use (and permit our processors and affiliates to use) content and usage data for model training, tuning, evaluation, safety, quality, analytics, and product development, including to generate AI Content and derived datasets.

4.3 No Professional Advice; Verification Required. The Services are informational only and may be incomplete, incorrect, delayed, geographically imprecise, or biased. Always verify independently. You assume all risk arising from your use, including travel or activities in any location discussed.

4.4 Methodologies & Estimates. Weighting, normalization, heuristics, and other methodologies may change without notice. Numbers and rankings are estimates and are not guaranteed.

4.5 Third‑Party Links. We are not responsible for third‑party content, policies, terms, or practices. Separate terms may apply to third‑party services you access.

5.1 User Content. You may submit reviews, ratings, data points, images, comments, corrections, or suggestions (“User Content”).

5.2 License Grant. You grant Citycost a perpetual, worldwide, non‑exclusive, transferable, sublicensable, royalty‑free license to host, store, reproduce, modify, adapt, translate, create derivative works from, publicly perform, publicly display, distribute, and otherwise use your User Content in any media, including to operate and promote the Services, train/evaluate models, and create or monetize derived datasets, products, or services.

5.3 Moral Rights & Attribution. To the maximum extent permitted by law, you waive any moral rights and consent to modifications and contextual use without further notice. Citycost may attribute contributions at its discretion.

5.4 Representations. You represent that you have all rights necessary to grant the above license; your User Content is accurate to the best of your knowledge and lawful; and you will not submit personal data of others without lawful basis.

5.5 Feedback. Feedback is assigned to Citycost and becomes our exclusive property without compensation.

6.1 Personal Use Only. Subject to these Terms, Citycost grants you a limited, revocable, non‑transferable, non‑sublicensable license to access and use the Services for personal, non‑commercial use.

6.2 Commercial, Academic, and API Use. Any commercial use (including internal business use), bulk downloads, dataset creation, academic research, or API access requires a separate written license.

6.3 Attribution. Where re‑use is permitted, you must provide a prominent hyperlink to the relevant Citycost page(s) and preserve notices or watermarks.

6.4 Prohibited Conduct. You agree not to: scrape, crawl, harvest, or extract data without express written permission; reproduce, mirror, frame, or create derivative databases; reverse engineer or attempt to derive source code or underlying datasets; bypass or interfere with security or rate‑limiting; upload malware, spam, or unlawful/harmful content; engage in benchmarking or competitive analysis without consent; misrepresent your identity or affiliation; or use the Services in violation of sanctions, export controls, or applicable laws.

6.5 Rate Limits. We may impose or modify rate limits and access controls at any time. Do not circumvent them.

7.1 Moderation Rights; No Duty to Monitor. We may, at any time and without notice, remove, refuse, or restrict access to content; suspend or terminate accounts; and take actions to protect the Services or third parties. We are not obligated to monitor content or to take any particular action.

7.2 Repeat Infringers. We may terminate accounts of repeat infringers.

7.3 Notice Process. If you believe content infringes your rights or is otherwise unlawful, email [email protected] (subject: “Notice”) with: (a) identification and location of the material; (b) your contact details; (c) the basis of your claim; (d) a good‑faith statement; and (e) a statement that your notice is accurate and you are authorized to act. We may forward your notice to the user and may remove or disable access in our discretion.

7.4 IP Notices; Counter‑Notices. Where available under applicable law (including safe‑harbor regimes), we process notices and counter‑notices consistent with those frameworks. We may restore content after a valid counter‑notice unless we are informed that legal action has been filed. If we appoint a designated agent, details will be posted at /legal/ip‑notices.

7.5 Regulatory Notice‑and‑Action. Where required by applicable law, we provide a notice‑and‑action channel and, when we restrict or remove content or accounts, a statement of reasons and information on available redress.

8.1 Privacy. Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and share information, including cross‑border transfers. By using the Services, you consent to our data practices as described there.

8.2 Usage Data & Telemetry. We may collect device identifiers, IP addresses, approximate location, event logs, clickstream data, and similar telemetry to secure, operate, and improve the Services.

8.3 Anonymization & Aggregation. We may anonymize or aggregate information and use it for any purpose; derived data is Citycost’s property.

9.1 Free Service; Future Paid Options. The Services are currently offered at no charge. We may offer optional paid features (“Paid Services”) in the future under terms presented at the point of sale.

9.2 Billing (If Applicable). If you purchase a Paid Service, you authorize charges to the payment method you provide. If a subscription is offered, it may automatically renew unless you cancel before renewal; renewal terms (including how to cancel) will be disclosed at purchase.

9.3 Refunds (If Applicable). Except where required by law or expressly stated at purchase, all fees are non‑refundable.

9.4 Chargebacks (If Applicable). Unwarranted chargebacks may result in suspension or termination. You remain responsible for unpaid amounts and reasonable collection costs.

You represent that you are not subject to comprehensive sanctions and are not on any government sanctions list. You will not use the Services for any prohibited end use or in violation of export‑control or sanctions laws.

11.1 Changes. We may add, remove, or modify features; discontinue or restrict the Services; or suspend access for maintenance, security, or legal reasons.

11.2 Beta. Features labeled “alpha,” “beta,” or “experimental” may be incomplete, unreliable, or changed at any time without notice.

12.1 AS IS / AS AVAILABLE. The Services, content, datasets, and AI Content are provided “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE,” with no warranties of any kind, express, implied, or statutory, to the fullest extent permitted by law.

12.2 No Guarantee of Results. We do not guarantee accuracy, timeliness, reliability, or availability, or that errors or defects will be corrected.

12.3 High‑Risk Use. Do not use the Services in safety‑ or mission‑critical contexts.

13.1 Exclusion. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Citycost and the Citycost Operators are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, punitive, exemplary, or enhanced damages; loss of profits, revenues, savings, goodwill, data, or use; or cost of substitute goods or services, even if advised of the possibility and even if a remedy fails its essential purpose.

13.2 Cap. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the aggregate liability of Citycost and the Citycost Operators for all claims is limited to the greater of US $100 or the amount you paid to Citycost for the Service giving rise to the claim in the six (6) months before the event giving rise to liability.

13.3 Jurisdictional Variations. Some laws do not allow certain limitations; the foregoing applies to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.

You will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Citycost, the Citycost Operators, and their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Services; (b) your User Content; (c) your violation of these Terms or law; (d) disputes between you and third parties; or (e) scraping, misuse, or unauthorized access.

15.1 Informal Resolution. Before filing a claim, email the address in §7.3 and attempt to resolve the dispute informally within 30 days.

15.2 Arbitration. To the extent not prohibited by applicable law, any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Services will be resolved by binding, confidential, individual arbitration administered by a reputable arbitration body under its applicable rules, before a single arbitrator. The seat and venue of arbitration will be determined by the Citycost Operator handling your account or transaction, and proceedings will be conducted in English. Judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

15.3 Small‑Claims Carve‑Out. Either party may seek relief in small‑claims court where permitted for qualifying matters.

15.4 Class Action Waiver. TO THE EXTENT NOT PROHIBITED BY LAW, YOU AND CITYCOST AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

15.5 Mass Filings. In the event of mass or coordinated filings, the administrator or arbitrator may implement reasonable staged, batched, or bellwether procedures.

15.6 Injunctive Relief. Either party may seek temporary or preliminary injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to protect rights pending arbitration.

15.7 Opt‑Out. You may opt out of arbitration within 30 days of first accepting these Terms by emailing the address in §7.3 with your name, account email, and a clear opt‑out statement. If you opt out, you agree to §16 for any permitted court proceedings.

16.1 Governing Law. These Terms are governed by the laws applicable in the jurisdiction of the Citycost Operator that provides the relevant Service to you, without regard to conflict‑of‑laws principles. If the applicable jurisdiction cannot be determined, the governing law will be determined by the tribunal or a court of competent jurisdiction.

16.2 Venue. Subject to §15, the exclusive venue for any permitted court proceedings will be the courts in a venue selected by the applicable Citycost Operator, or, if indeterminable, a competent forum determined by the tribunal or court.

16.3 Mandatory Rights. Nothing in these Terms limits mandatory consumer protections under applicable law.

You consent to receive communications electronically. We may provide notices by email, in‑product messages, or posting to the Services. Electronic records and signatures have the same legal effect as originals.

18.1 By You. You may stop using the Services at any time.

18.2 By Us. We may suspend or terminate access at any time for any reason, including risk, legal compliance, inactivity, or violations.

18.3 Survival. Sections 1–8, 9 (if applicable), 10–19, and any provisions intended to survive termination will survive.

19.1 Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with incorporated conditions, constitute the entire agreement and supersede prior or contemporaneous understandings.

19.2 Severability. If any provision is unenforceable, the remainder remains in effect, and the unenforceable provision will be replaced with an enforceable one that most closely reflects the original intent.

19.3 No Waiver. Failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver.

19.4 Force Majeure. We are not liable for delays or failures due to events beyond our reasonable control.

19.5 Language. These Terms are prepared in English. Translations are for convenience only; the English version controls.

19.6 Headings. Headings are for convenience and do not affect interpretation.

19.7 Time Limit. To the extent permitted by law, any claim relating to the Services must be brought within one (1) year after it accrued, or be permanently barred.

19.8 No Third‑Party Beneficiaries. These Terms do not create third‑party beneficiary rights.

19.9 Intellectual Property; Trademarks. The Services (including content, code, and compilations), and the Citycost name and marks, are owned by Citycost or its licensors. Third‑party names, logos, and marks are the property of their respective owners.

For questions about these Terms, contact [email protected].

Acceptable Use — Summary (Incorporated by Reference)

No unlawful, deceptive, or harmful activity.

No scraping, automated access, or extraction without written permission.

No security interference, reverse engineering, or rate‑limit evasion.

No IP infringement; respect privacy and data‑protection laws.

No spam, fraud, or manipulation of ratings, reviews.