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Our Price Basket - or Cost Of Living 2008 - 2010 Interest Rates, Housing, Food, Gas, Stamps, Dollar Exchange Rate, Dow Jones, Movie Ticket, College Tuition and Wages. We created this page to address two specific needs 1. Providing a comparison for earlier years and decades and 2. As a means of watching how prices, wages react during this worldwide recession and the effects on inflation, prices and wages when the world comes out of the recession .


How Much things cost today ( Updated February 9th 2010 ) The Cost alongside in blue was from our last update
Average Cost of new house ( 2009 ) $232,880 2008- $238,880
Average Cost for house rent( 2009 ) $780.00 per month 2008- $800.00
Average wages per year ( 2009 ) $39,423 2008- $40,523
Cost of a gallon of Gas ( February 1st 2010 ) $2.73 August 2009- $2.51
Average Cost Cents per kilowatt hour Electricity ( October 2009 ) $11.76 cents ( April 2009 ) $11.59
A 20 ounce loaf of Bread ( January 2010 ) $2.27 ( February 2010 ) $2.49
A LB of Bacon ( January 2010 ) $3.22
A LB of Russet Potatoes ( January 2010 ) $0.52
Dozen Eggs ( January 2010 ) $1.37
Movie Ticket ( 2009 ) $7,50
College Tuition State ( February 2010 ) $7,020 + Most States have raised tuition fees for 2009 - 2010 by between 5 and 15% ( August 2009 ) $6,585
First Class Stamp ( February 2010 ) $0.44 ( August 2009 ) $0.42
Consumer Price Index ( December 1st 2010 ) 215.263 ( July 1st 2009 ) 215.693
Money Matters
Current Fed Base Interest Rate ( january 1st 2010 ) .25%
Current Inflation Rate ( December 1st 2009 ) 0.03% ( July 1st 2009 ) 215.693
Dow Jones ( January 9th 2011 ) 9,908 ( August 2009 ) 9,171
Price Of Gold Per Ounce ( January 9th 2010 ) $1068.33 ( August 1st 2009 ) $953.00
Price Barrel Of Oil ( February 1st 2010 ) $77.62
US Dollar Exchange Rate Euro ( February 9th 2010 ) 1.26750 ( August 1st 2009 ) 1.426
US Dollar Exchange Rate Pound ( February 9th 2010 ) 1.56.09 ( August 1st 2009 ) 1.672
Unemployment Rate ( January 2010 ) 10.1% ( November 2009 ) 10.2%


Only those goods, services or items that have changed since last update ( May ) are included below with original prices. I will try to update each 3 months and leave earlier figures below to provide comparison data


How Much things cost With Earlier Older Prices Only Prices that have changed included
Average Cost of new house ( 2008 ) $238,880
Average Cost for house rent( 2008 ) $800.00 per month
Average wages per year ( 2008 ) $40,523
Cost of a gallon of Gas ( August 2009 ) $2.51
Average Cost Cents per kilowatt hour Electricity ( April 2009 ) 11.59 cents
A 20 ounce loaf of Bread ( August 2009 ) $1.77
A LB of Bacon ( August 2009 ) $3.19
A LB of Russet Potatoes ( August 2009 ) $0.55
Dozen Eggs ( August 2009 ) $1.34
Movie Ticket ( 2009 ) $7,18
College Tuition State ( August 2009 ) $6,585 + Most States have raised tuition fees for 2009 - 2010 by between 5 and 15%
First Class Stamp ( August 2009 ) $0.42

Consumer Price Index ( July 1st 2009 ) 215.693

Money Matters
Current Fed Base Interest Rate ( August 1st 2009 ) 1%
Current Inflation Rate ( July 1st 2009 ) -1.43%
Dow Jones ( August 1st 2009 ) 9,171
Price Of Gold Per Ounce ( August 1st 2009 ) $953.00
Price Barrel Of Oil ( August 1st 2009 ) $69.45
US Dollar Exchange Rate Euro ( August 1st 2009 ) 1.426
US Dollar Exchange Rate Pound ( August 1st 2009 ) 1.672
Unemployment Rate ( November 2009 ) 10.2%
Average Cost New Car ( 2008 ) $27,958
Average Cost Cents per kilowatt hour Electricity ( Jan 2009 ) 11.03 cents
A loaf of Bread ( 2009 ) $2.79
A LB of Bacon ( 2009 ) $2.99
A LB of Potatoes ( 2009 ) $0.32
Dozen Eggs ( 2009 ) $1.89
College Tuition State ( 2009 ) $6,585
First Class Stamp ( 2009 ) $0.42

Consumer Price Index ( May 1st 2009 ) 213.240

Money Matters
Current Inflation Rate ( May 1st 2009 ) 0.38%
Dow Jones ( May 1st 2009 ) 8,168
Price Of Gold Per Ounce ( May 1st 2009 ) $885.30
Price Barrel Of Oil ( May 6th 2009 ) $56.47
US Dollar Exchange Rate Euro ( May 1st 2009 ) 1.327
US Dollar Exchange Rate Pound ( May 1st 2009 ) 1.485
Unemployment Rate ( May 1st 2009 ) 8.6%
Unemployment Rate ( July 1st 2009 ) 9.7%
If You Would Like to see other things added to our Current Price Basket Please Let Us Know ( target 20 items for our shopping basket )


Please Help If I have screwed up with current prices or rates let me know any mistakes Thanks Steve
Whenever possible prices have been taken from Government statistics, any help with links to better and more up to date information will be appreciated , As you can see this page like nearly every page on The People History Carries No advertising. Please remember to join to make a comment or help keep this information up to date. The Comments are like all comments on The People History moderated. If you want to give examples of what you are really paying in the shops in your area please do, it will make interesting reading for our other visitors (( Steve Webmaster The People History )). I will try to update the information every three months) only prices that have changed in the earlier quarter. Prices for LB's of food stuffs are difficult to get perfectly correct because it does depend on the quantity / Quality and where purchased ( State Tax etc ) but I think it is still a worthwhile exercise.