Our Price Basket - or Cost Of Living 2008 - 2016 Latest Inflation Update June 2016
We created this page to address two specific needs
1. Providing a comparison for earlier years
2. As a means of watching how prices and wages react to the effects of inflation as the world comes out of the recession.

As you can see from our table the overall basket of goods has changed significantly from 2008 to 2016.

Basket: There has been about a 29% increase from 2008 to 2016.
Wages: There has been about a 10.4% increase from 2008 to 2016.

This is much higher than the published inflation figures and we believe that it reflects how the middle and working classes have been effected by real world prices and wage stagnation during the past few years.

Our basket is representative of the goods and services we all use and buy, obviously different people spend different amounts and buy different types from what we use to calculate the basket, but overall, we believe the products provide a decent example of a typical cart.

For different individuals and families, there are obviously multiple factors that can effect personal finances such as 1. Size of Family, 2. Income, 3. Healthcare Costs, 4. Debts and Loans, 5. Rent or Mortgage, among other additional costs, but, we hope that our price basket can help offer some insight into real world inflation as opposed to government statistics. State and Local Sales Tax can also dramatically impact the prices we see. Some states do not have sales tax on certain food items, while others can have a very high sales tax (over 10% in some areas).

As you can see we have had to update the style and design of the tables ( Split into 4 ) and the basket itself as we have now been updating this page for 8 years and needed to change design slightly to allow us to continue updating each year, we have also added a couple of paragraphs further down the page to include something about healthcare and student loans


Our Pricebasket of food etc. 2008 to 2016

Shopping Basket (Part 1)
Year Loaf of Bread Lb Potatoes Gallon Milk Lb Bacon Dozen Eggs 24 Pack Coke 12 Pack Water
2008 Jan. $1.68 Nov. 32 ¢ $2.65 Dec. $2.96 Apr. $1.29 $5.48 $1.90
2009 Aug. $1.77 Aug. 55 ¢ $2.69 Aug. $3.19 Aug. $1.34 $5.98 $1.94
2010 Feb. $2.49 Feb. 52 ¢ $2.79 Jan. $3.22 Jan. $1.37 $6.98 Feb. $2.08
2011 Aug. $1.98 Aug. 60 ¢ Aug. $3.39 Aug. $3.98 Aug. $1.25 Aug. $6.98 Aug. $2.63
2012 Sep. $1.88 Sep. 42 ¢ Sep. $2.79 Sep. $4.48 Sep. $1.54 Sep. $6.98 Sep. $2.68
2013 Dec. $1.98 Dec. 88 ¢ Dec. $4.28 Dec. $4.98 Dec. $1.88 Dec. $7.18 Dec. $2.63
2014 Dec. $1.98 Dec. 49 ¢ Dec. $3.15 Dec. $5.48 Dec. $1.98 Dec. $7.18 Dec. $2.50
2015 Nov. $1.98 Nov. 78 ¢ Nov. $3.98 Nov. $5.24 Nov. $2.77 Nov. $5.98 Nov. $2.63
2016 Jun. $1.98 Jun. 78¢ Jun. $3.98 Jun. $4.48 Jun. $1.33 Jun. $6.48 Jun. $2.63


Shopping Basket (Part 2)
Year Lb Tomatoes Butter Substitute Cornflakes Frozen Pizza 5 Lb Sugar 5 Lb Flour Lb Ground Beef Tide Detergent
2008 68 ¢ $1.90 $2.34 $2.49 $2.68 $1.97 $3.68 $5.98
2009 75 ¢ $1.94 $2.68 $2.49 $2.78 $2.06 $3.99 $6.98
2010 Feb. 97 ¢ Dec. $2.28 Dec. $2.98 Dec. $2.90 Dec. $3.12 Dec. $2.18 Dec. $3.78 Dec. $7.97
2011 Aug. $1.59 Aug. $2.68 Aug. $3.50 Aug. $3.00 Aug. $2.92 Aug. $3.12 Aug. $3.78 Aug. $10.55
2012 Sep. $1.79 Sep. $2.68 Sep. $1.98 Sep. $3.33 Sep. $2.42 Sep. $2.98 Sep. $4.78 Sep. $17.97
2013 Dec. $1.12 Dec. $2.49 Dec. $2.92 Dec. $2.52 Dec. $2.68 Dec. $2.46 Dec. $4.68 Dec. $11.98
2014 Dec. $1.18 Dec. $2.88 Dec. $2.98 Dec. $2.98 Dec. $1.98 Dec. $1.98 Dec. $5.98 Dec. $17.97
2015 Nov. $1.24 Nov. $2.88 Nov. $2.93 Nov. $2.50 Nov. $2.47 Nov. $1.46 Nov. $5.26 Nov. $11.76
2016 Jun. 98 ¢ Jun. $2.88 Jun. $2.93 Jun. $2.36 Jun. $1.74 Jun. $1.38 Jun. $4.97 Jun. $12.57


Shopping Basket / Other (Part 3)
Year Folgers Coffee Lb Grapes Toilet Paper Chicken Soup Movie Ticket First Class Stamp College Tuition Wrangler Jeans
2008 $5.49 $1.85 $3.49 $1.89 $6.95 42 ¢ Aug. $6,015 N/A
2009 $7.98 $2.15 $3.49 $1.95 $7.18 42 ¢ Aug. $6,585 N/A
2010 Dec. $8.78 $2.97 Dec. $3.98 Dec. $2.08 $7.50 44 ¢ Feb. $7,020 Mar. $15.98
2011 Aug. $12.98 $1.96 Aug. $3.98 Aug. $2.10 Aug. $8.20 Aug. 44 ¢ Jan. $7,605 Aug. $17.68
2012 Sep. $8.98 $1.98 Sep. $3.96 Sep. $1.75 Aug. $8.20 Aug. 45 ¢ July. $7,695 Sep. $15.77
2013 Dec. $7.98 $2.48 Dec. $3.98 Dec. $1.58 Dec. $10.25 Aug. 46 ¢ Dec. $8,893 Dec. $15.77
2014 Dec. $8.98 $1.98 Dec. $3.98 Dec. $1.35 Dec. $10.25 Aug. 49 ¢ Dec. $9,139 Dec. $16.77
2015 Nov. $10.63 $1.48 Nov. $3.98 Nov. $1.34 Nov. $10.65 Nov. 49 ¢ Nov. $9,410 Nov. $16.77
2016 Jun. $7.94 $2.28 Jun. $3.98 Jun. $1.58 Jun. $10.49 Jun. 47 ¢ Jun. $9,960 Jun. $16.77


Realty / Commodities / Employment / Financial
Year House Rent New House Buy Gallon of Gas KW/Hr Electric Wages Unemployment Fed Base Rate Dow Jones Inflation CPI Gold per Ounce
2008 $800.00 $238,880 Sep. $3.39 Nov. 11.03 ¢ $40,523 Jan. 5.4% Jan. 4.25% Mar. 12,500 3.8% Apr 216.632 Mar. $820.00
2009 $780.00 $232,880 Feb. $2.51 Oct. 11.76 ¢ $39,423 May. 8.6% Aug. 1.00% Aug. 9,171 0.4% Apr 213.856 Aug. $953.00
2010 Aug. $945.00 Nov. $268,700 Aug. $2.73 Sep. 11.97 ¢ Nov. $39,856 Nov. 9.8% Jan. .25% Jan. 9,908 Nov. 1.1% Apr. 218.178 Jan. $1,068.33
2011 Aug. $955.00 Mar. $202,100 Aug. $3.89 Aug. 12.35 ¢ Aug. $40,925 Aug. 9.2% Aug. .25% Aug. 11,326 Jun. 3.1% Apr. 224.906 Aug. $1,559.95
2012 Aug. $1045.00 Aug. $263,200 Sep. $3.91 Aug. 13.30 ¢ Dec. $44,321 Aug. 8.1% Sep. .25% Sep. 13,553 Jul. 2.6% Aug. 233.506 Aug. $1,677.95
2013 Dec. $1195.00 Dec. $289,500 Dec. $3.80 Dec. 13.30 ¢ Dec. $44,888 Dec. 6.7% Dec. .25% Dec. 15,883 Dec. 1.5% Dec. 233.049 Dec. $1,208.00
2014 Dec. $1314.00 Dec. $373,500 Dec. $2.75 Dec. 12.72 ¢ Dec. $46.481 Nov. 5.8% Dec. .25% Dec. 17,280 Dec. 1.7% Dec. 234.8 Dec. $1,221.80
2015 $1,258.00 Sep. $364,100 Nov. $2.21 Nov. 12.00 ¢ $44,600.00 Nov. 5.0% Nov. .25% Nov. 17,245 Nov. 1.3% Apr. 236.51 Nov. $1,085.70
2016 Apr. $1,300.00 Apr. $379,800 Jun. $2.49 May 12.00 ¢ N/A May 4.7% May 0.5% Jun. 17,993.62 May 1.6% Apr. 239.26 Jun. $1,272.50




*** Note: We try to wait for government published figures whenever possible consequently the last year is often not updated until the later in the year


Healthcare Costs


We have struggled to find reliable, unbiased figures on the cost of healthcare over the past few years so we do not include that in what we have provided but thought it was important to address the subject with a few observations. Over the past few years, healthcare costs for the average person have seemed to increase significantly, taking up a larger portion of a person's wages than before. What many figures and reports tell us, and what many working people already know, is that employers have been shifting the cost of healthcare to employees by reducing the number of fuller coverage options available for insurance and encouraging employees to use high-deductible plans which end up costing more out of pocket for the individual or family. These changes can significantly contribute to the reasons that wage stagnation has felt particularly hard on the American consumer's wallet in the past few years. There have also been prescription drug price increases as well as decreases with more generic options available, these can also effect the overall cost of healthcare.

College Tuition and Student Loans


The cost of college tuition in most public institutions has also increased dramatically over the past few years, with out-of-state prices increasing a little more than in-state, in general. This has contributed to the fact that more students are leaving college with larger student loans than before. Having large student loans can impact the amount of extra income that many new entrants into the working world have at their disposal as those loans have to be paid back and often have higher interest rates than the current Federal rate. This can make it more difficult for the younger generations to save money, buy homes, and contribute to the economy through spending on higher ticket items like cars and other investment options.

Some notes on our Price Basket:


1. Our basket shows a decrease from year to year starting in 2014, which is not surprising when you consider that the price of gas has decreased recently.

2. Some manufacturers change the weight of items which makes it more difficult to reflect real price changes. Most notable was the weights of Coffee and Laundry detergent. They are consistently variable. We have also noticed that the bag of Sugar has been reduced from the traditional 5 Lbs. to 4 Lbs.

3. We have taken food prices from our local Wal-Mart and try to update every few months when we have the time. This is not a super scientific method but we still believe it can show some of the basic effects of inflation on prices in the long term.

4. Fresh produce prices can rise and fall depending on the season, but we still include them with the hope that it will contribute to the information in the long term.

5. Prices from 2008 to 2012 were taken from a Wal-Mart located in a Rural/Small Town populated area in SE Wisconsin. Prices from 2013 to 2016 were taken from a Walmart located in a more densely populated area in Indianapolis, IN.

6. The prices in the graph include all of the food items plus one gallon of gas.

7. These figures are also dependent on special offers by the store or manufacturer or a combination of both.


Notes for foods
Types/Brands for Foods:
  1. Bread -- Sarah Lee White Bread
  2. Potatoes -- Russets
  3. Milk -- Deans
  4. Bacon -- Hormel -- 16 Ounces
  5. Eggs -- Large Grade A Dozen
  6. Coke -- 24 Pack Cans
  7. Water -- 12 Pack Ice Mountain
  8. Tomatoes - Roma
  9. Can't Believe It's Not Butter --- 15 Ounces
  10. Cornflakes - Large -- 18 Ounces
  11. Pizza -- Jacks Pepperoni
  12. Sugar -- 5 Lb bag (now 4 Lb bag)
  13. Flour -- 5 Lb bag
  14. Beef -- Lean Ground
  15. Tide (Powder) -- 4.37 Lbs (now 5.93 Lbs)
  16. Folgers Classic Roast --- 2 Lb 9 Ounces (now 1 Lb 14.5 Oz.)
  17. Grapes -- Green
  18. Toilet Rolls -- Scott 4 pack
  19. Chicken Soup -- Campbell's Cream Of Chicken --- 10.7 Ounces

Current Prices in June of 2016
  1. Bread - $1.98
  2. Lb. Russet Potato - 78 cents
  3. Gallon of Milk - $3.98
  4. Bacon - $4.48
  5. Eggs - $1.33
  6. Coke - $6.48
  7. Water - $2.63
  8. Lb. Roma Tomato - 98 cents
  9. Butter Substitute - $2.88
  10. Cornflakes - $2.93
  11. Pizza - $2.36
  12. Bag of Sugar - $1.74
  13. Bag of Flour - $1.38
  14. Ground Beef - $4.97
  15. Tide - $12.57
  16. Coffee - $7.94
  17. Grapes - $2.28
  18. Toilet Paper - $3.98
  19. Chicken Soup - $1.58

You can also check out our Foods section where you can check food prices for each decade from the 20's to the 90's including 50's Food Prices, --- 70's Food Prices and the 90's Food Prices with a much wider of variety of prices included.
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 C per kilowatt hour Electricity ( October 2009 ) $11.76 C ( 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 C per kilowatt hour Electricity ( April 2009 ) 11.59 C 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 C per kilowatt hour Electricity ( Jan 2009 ) 11.03 C 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 , 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.