If there’s one thing that consumers are familiar with, it’s inflation. In recent years, higher prices have dominated financial headlines, thanks in large part to the spike in inflation following the coronavirus pandemic.
Read More: I Asked AI To Make Me As Much Money As Possible: Here’s What Happened, According To Codie Sanchez
Discover Next: 6 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000
However, in the modern era, it’s typical for prices to rise in the 2% to 4% range on an annual basis. Over time, the cumulative effect of this annual inflation can really add up. This has ramifications both for current household budgets and for those planning for retirement.
To quantify the long-term effects of inflation, here’s a look at how much prices have risen from 2010 to 2025, using Federal Reserve and Bureau of Labor Statistics data — and what those price changes mean for Americans.
How Much Has Inflation Risen Since 2010
The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis has published a study showing the annual change in CPI-U data as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This data is the first step in calculating how much $100 can buy you in 2025 versus 2010. According to the report, here’s the year-by-year change:
- 2010: 1.6%
- 2011: 3.2%
- 2012: 2.1%
- 2013: 1.5%
- 2014: 1.6%
- 2015: 0.1%
- 2016: 1.3%
- 2017: 2.1%
- 2018: 2.4%
- 2019: 1.8%
- 2020: 1.2%
- 2021: 4.7%
- 2022: 8.0%
- 2023: 4.1%
- 2024: 2.9%
- 2025: 2.7%
If you put it all together, it means that the CPI-U has risen almost exactly 50% since 2010. In real-world terms, this means that things that cost $100 in 2010 now cost about $150, on average.
The caveat here, of course, is that an “average” price change isn’t great at capturing the actual price changes among various goods and services. On an individual basis, some things may cost more or less the same as they did in 2010, while other prices may have doubled.
Find Out: 15 Things You Can Donate for Money
Comparison of Different Prices in 2010 vs. 2025
To get a better feel for how much American households have felt the pinch, here’s a look at how the individual costs of specific items have changed over the past 15 years. Prices are sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics as of September for each respective year:
- Gasoline, regular unleaded, per gallon: $2.70 in 2010; $3.34 in 2025 — up 23.7%
- Bananas, per pound: $0.57 to $0.67 — up 17.5%
- White bread, per pound: $1.39 to $1.87 — up 34.5%
- Eggs, large, grade A, per dozen: $1.75 to $3.49 — up 99.4%
- Ground chuck, 100% beef, per pound: $2.95 to $6.33 — up 114.6%
- Chicken, fresh, whole, per pound: $1.28 to $2.06 — up 60.9%
- Electricity, per kWh: $0.13 to $0.19 — up 46.2%
- Milk, whole, per gallon: $3.28 to $4.13 — up 25.9%
- Tomatoes, field-grown, per pound: $1.50 to $1.91 — up 27.3%
- Oranges, navel, per pound: $1.30 to $1.80 — up 38.5%
Based on this data, a sampling of everything from meat and poultry to dairy, fruits, vegetables, gasoline and electricity has risen between 17% and 115% over the past 10 years.
In dollars and cents, here’s how much you would have to spend in 2025 to buy the same amount that $100 would get you in 2010:
- Gasoline: $123.70
- Bananas: $117.50
- White bread: $134.50
- Eggs: $199.40
- Ground chuck: $214.60
- Chicken: $160.90
- Electricity: $146.20
- Milk: $125.90
- Tomatoes: $127.30
- Oranges: $138.50
What This Means for Your Budget and Savings
Seeing these numbers in black and white can be startling. While most consumers know that prices rise over time, few expect staples like ground chuck to more than double. Here are some of the financial consequences of inflation:
- Your investments lose purchasing power. If your investments earn less than the inflation rate, you’re effectively falling behind. For example, if you invest $1,000 in an account paying 2%, you’ll have $1,020 after one year — but you’ll need $1,030 just to keep up if inflation is 3%. This is why financial advisors often recommend investments with higher long-term return potential, like stocks.
- Your wages don’t go as far. If your income doesn’t rise annually, you’ll lose purchasing power. Any year you don’t get a raise, you’ll need to stretch your salary further to cover rising prices at the grocery store and gas pump.
- You may face tough spending decisions. If the cost of living rises faster than your wages, you may have to make sacrifices. Many households can cut discretionary spending — like travel or dining out — but others may reduce savings or investment contributions, or worse, begin dipping into savings to cover everyday costs.
None of these are ideal scenarios. But understanding how inflation erodes purchasing power is an important first step. With that knowledge, you can plan ahead and build a flexible budget enough to adapt to rising costs.
More From GOBankingRates
- 6 Costco Items for Responsible Retirees To Buy Before Hosting Thanksgiving
- I Retired a Millionaire: The Best $20,000 I Ever Spent Preparing for Retirement
- How Middle-Class Earners Are Quietly Becoming Millionaires -- and How You Can, Too
- 5 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: What $100 Buys You in 2025 vs. What It Bought in 2010
