Cost of living over time: comparison tracker

We’ve compared the prices of common items over the last 30 years to see how their price changes compare to inflation.

We also have a cost of living calculator where you can see how much it would cost when moving from one city to another.

What is the cost of living now compared to 1990?

The cost of living in the UK has changed significantly over the past 35 years, with the price of many items soaring well above inflation. This can mean that trying to get a mortgage deposit together feels almost impossible, especially as house prices are rising at exponential rates, and regular saving also becomes more difficult.

The table below breaks down the price of select items in 1990 vs 2024.

	1990	2000	2010	2017	2024
Average house price	£53,337	£86,244	£155,405	£207,568	£268,087
Pint of beer	£1.22	£2.00	£2.94	£3.58	£4.77
Tank of unleaded petrol	£23.10	£44.00	£64.35	£64.90	£77.55
Loaf of bread	50p	52p	£1.20	£1.03	£1.40
Pint of milk	31p	34p	44p	43p	65p

How much was the average house worth in 1990 vs now?

In 1990, the average price for a house in the UK was just £53,337. This has increased dramatically in the 35 years since – shooting up more than 400% – with the average UK house price in 2024 at £268,087. It’s no wonder young people are struggling to get on the housing ladder!

The biggest increases in house prices in a single year came between 2001 and 2002, when the average price shot up 28% from £90,242 to £115,835.

• Graph
• Table

How much was a pint of beer in 1990 vs now?

Beer is another item that has rocketed up in price way above inflation. In 1990, it would have cost you just £1.22 to sip on a cool pint of lager. However, in 2024, the average pint cost £4.77 – almost 4 times as much!

Lager saw a big price increase between 2022 and 2023 during the UK cost of living crisis, going up 11% in the space of just one year.

• Graph
• Table

How much was a tank of petrol in 1990 vs now?

Based on a tank size of 55L, the average cost to fill up your car with unleaded petrol has gone from £23.10 in 1990 to £77.55 in 2024, an increase of 236%.

The cost was actually highest in 2022, however, at £90.75. This was a result of petrol prices skyrocketing in 2022.

• Graph
• Table

How much was a loaf of bread in 1990 vs now?

Bread is a staple item in our weekly food shop, but how has the price changed over the years? Back in 1990, a loaf of bread would have cost you just 50p, but in 2024 the same loaf would have cost you £1.40. That’s almost 3 times as much!

As with the price of a pint, the biggest increase in price came with the 2022 cost of living crisis as the price of a loaf jumped by 15% between 2021 and 2022.

• Graph
• Table

How much was a pint of milk in 1990 vs now?

A pint of milk would have set you back just 31p in 1990, but in 2024, this had risen to 65p – more than double.

Milk was an everyday staple that had remained relatively low in price – generally tracking below inflation. However, with the 2022 cost of living crisis, it jumped up by 33% in a single year and then by another 17.5% in 2023.

• Graph
• Table

Methodology

Using data from the below sources, Finder worked out the percentage increases in the prices of several common items and compared them to the inflation rate over time.

Data sources: Land Registry, ONS, Royal Mail and House of Commons Library.