It’s hard to go anywhere right now without getting sticker shock. Price change alerts can feel like small acts of financial violence.
Americans continue to fall back on the rates that rose during the violence, have never returned to the world, and continue to climb higher. There is no doubt that it is more expensive to support yourself and pay for basic things like transportation, housing, and health insurance than it was a few years ago.
Here’s Yahoo Finance’s summary of how the day-to-day expenses worked out.
The 16-item basket of groceries made up of staples like eggs, bread, and meat — no truffle cheese in our cart — rose nearly 43% in March compared to the same month in 2019.
Several key categories are responsible for the increase: Coffee prices have more than doubled since the pandemic, while beef prices have risen recently. Egg prices are down from 2025 levels – but still around $0.80 more per dozen compared to March 2019.
Snacks are very expensive. A one-pound bag of potato chips these days costs about $7, an increase of more than $2 from pre-pandemic levels.
The biggest monthly expense for most people is housing. Whether you rent or own, you’re probably paying more now. Rents and home prices vary widely by location — typically, they’re higher on the coast and lower in the Midwest and Southeast — but the median rent in the US is $1,895, a 41% jump from $1,343 in 2019.
While rents have risen, the cost of owning a home has suffered. The ongoing housing shortage has sent home prices skyrocketing, and mortgage rates north of 6% are making monthly payments too expensive for today’s buyers. In addition, the “hidden” costs of owning a home such as taxes, insurance, and maintenance are increasing.
Read more: How to get the lowest mortgage rates right now
Overall, the owner’s average monthly mortgage payment — including mortgage principal and interest, taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and estimated maintenance costs — came to more than $2,800, a staggering 72% jump from $1,635 six years earlier. That jump has had devastating effects on the economy, encouraging many homebuyers to rent longer and for homeowners with 3% mortgage rates to stay put, even if their homes no longer meet their needs.
Another area where homeowners and renters alike feel comfortable? Their utility costs. Although volatile, electricity and heating costs have tended to rise in recent years due to a combination of factors, including data center demand, climate change, and US gas exports.
Electricity costs about $0.19 per kilowatt hour today, up 39% from $0.136 in 2019. During the same period, utility gas prices increased by 66%, while fuel oil prices increased by approximately 32%.
Most US households own at least one car. Paying for it isn’t particularly fun these days. The average monthly payment for a new car has reached $805, according to JD Power, $38 more than last year. At the end of 2020, the average payment was $610.
An industry research firm noted that more consumers are turning to 84-month loans to finance expensive cars — as of March, the average price of a new car was $49,275, up 3.5% from a year ago, according to Kelley Blue Book.
Read more: 6 steps to get cheap car insurance in 2026
Car insurance is also not considered. The average monthly premium nationwide reached $191 in February, according to Experian, though location is more important. Drivers in states including Maryland, Connecticut, and New York pay more than $300, meaning some Americans may be spending more than $1,000 a month on financing and insurance combined.
And then there’s gas, which has been in flux since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran. The national average price of gasoline per gallon is now above $4 for the first time since 2022, so filling up a 16-gallon car a week costs about $130 a month at current prices.
The unnecessary things that keep us healthy are very expensive.
Take coffee on the go. Toast, a restaurant software provider, said the average menu price for a regular coffee was $3.69 in March. A delicious cold drink? That will cost you $5.58. Burger prices make the average dinner feel like a luxury, coming in at $14.63.
Want to catch a show after dinner? A movie ticket for adults costs $13.36, according to research firm EnTelligence. Do you want to see one of the biggest musical guests? That average ticket price reached $119.65 last year, according to music industry trade publication Pollstar.
Getting out of the city on vacation will also take a toll on your wallet: Airfare is up 14.9% from last year. Kayak recently wrote that domestic airfare is around $350 at the end of March, while an international flight costs $998.
Emma Ockerman is a journalist who talks about the economy and operations of Yahoo Finance. You can reach her at emma.ockerman@yahooinc.com.
Claire Boston is a senior reporter for Yahoo Finance covering real estate, real estate, and home insurance.
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