Consumer prices are up 30% since 2019. Here's what got more expensive

In inflation adjusted terms, taking into account the curvature of the Earth, The Report is 1.115% more expensive than at this time in 2017.

Consumer prices are up 30% since 2019. Here's what got more expensive

From steak to rent to car insurance, years of inflation have left nearly every spending category more expensive than before the pandemic

By Cris Tolomia, Quartz Media

Updated September 11, 2026

Consumer prices are up 30% since 2019. Here's what got more expensive

Consumer prices have climbed more than 30% since early 2019, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data — a cumulative surge roughly two and a half times greater than the total price growth recorded across the entire 2012–2019 period.

The headline inflation rate has eased substantially from its 2022 high of 9%, reaching 3.4% as of July, yet the sheer weight of compounded price increases over the past several years continues to squeeze household budgets. Inflation came close to the Federal Reserve's 2% target in April 2025, but subsequently accelerated — first after President Trump introduced sweeping tariffs that raised the cost of imported goods, and again when the outbreak of war with Iran sent energy prices sharply higher.

Among goods categories, beef and veal have risen 98% since January 2012, with most of that gain coming after 2019. Bread is up 47% over the same period. Used vehicles, which had been on a downward price trajectory in the years leading up to the pandemic, now cost 19% more than they did in 2012. Furniture followed a similar arc — a prolonged pre-pandemic decline driven by cheap imported goods gave way to a pandemic-era spike in demand, a brief post-pandemic retreat, and then another round of increases once the Trump tariffs took effect. Appliances are one of the few categories that remain cheaper than in 2012, down 5%.

Services have climbed even faster in some categories. Vehicle insurance is up 124% since 2012. Vehicle repair costs have risen 79%. Residential rent has increased 74% over the same period, and dining out is up 69%. Day care and preschool costs are 60% higher than in 2012. College tuition, which was already rising before the pandemic, is up 42%.

Energy has driven a significant share of the recent pressure. Gasoline prices hit a record high for Labor Day weekend, with the national average for regular unleaded reaching $4.15 a gallon on Sept. 7, according to AAA. Diesel hit a Monday average of $5.90 a gallon, also a record. The Iran War, which began Feb. 28 and has restricted crude oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, is the primary factor behind elevated energy costs, according to AAA.

The most recent federal inflation data, covering August, showed the Consumer Price Index rising 3.4% over the prior 12 months, with gasoline up 27.4% year over year and energy prices overall up 16.3%. Core inflation, which strips out food and energy, rose 2.4% over the same period.

Wage growth has been uneven. By late 2024 or 2025, workers had largely recovered the purchasing power eroded during the 2021-2022 inflation spike, but the sharp rise in energy costs has since pushed real wages back into negative territory.