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.
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 |
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.
| Year | Average house price | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | £53,337 | |
| 1991 | £52,908 | -0.80% |
| 1992 | £49,018 | -8.10% |
| 1993 | £49,768 | -6.69% |
| 1994 | £51,517 | -3.41% |
| 1995 | £51,367 | -3.69% |
| 1996 | £55,164 | 3.43% |
| 1997 | £59,511 | 11.58% |
| 1998 | £66,757 | 25.16% |
| 1999 | £76,001 | 42.49% |
| 2000 | £86,244 | 61.70% |
| 2001 | £90,242 | 69.19% |
| 2002 | £115,835 | 117.18% |
| 2003 | £125,433 | 135.17% |
| 2004 | £138,853 | 160.33% |
| 2005 | £147,580 | 176.69% |
| 2006 | £162,881 | 205.38% |
| 2007 | £174,280 | 226.75% |
| 2008 | £148,267 | 177.98% |
| 2009 | £154,832 | 190.29% |
| 2010 | £155,405 | 191.36% |
| 2011 | £153,880 | 188.51% |
| 2012 | £155,534 | 191.61% |
| 2013 | £163,942 | 207.37% |
| 2014 | £176,561 | 231.03% |
| 2015 | £188,767 | 253.91% |
| 2016 | £198,513 | 272.19% |
| 2017 | £207,568 | 289.16% |
| 2018 | £211,621 | 296.76% |
| 2019 | £213,521 | 300.32% |
| 2020 | £228,446 | 328.31% |
| 2021 | £245,189 | 359.70% |
| 2022 | £263,190 | 393.45% |
| 2023 | £256,177 | 380.30% |
| 2024 | £268,087 | 402.63% |
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.
| Year | Average price of a pint of draught lager (£) | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | £1.22 | |
| 1991 | £1.37 | 12.30% |
| 1992 | £1.46 | 19.67% |
| 1993 | £1.53 | 25.41% |
| 1994 | £1.58 | 29.51% |
| 1995 | £1.66 | 36.07% |
| 1996 | £1.73 | 41.80% |
| 1997 | £1.81 | 48.36% |
| 1998 | £1.89 | 54.92% |
| 1999 | £1.94 | 59.02% |
| 2000 | £2.00 | 63.93% |
| 2001 | £2.03 | 66.39% |
| 2002 | £2.09 | 71.31% |
| 2003 | £2.26 | 85.25% |
| 2004 | £2.33 | 90.98% |
| 2005 | £2.41 | 97.54% |
| 2006 | £2.51 | 105.74% |
| 2007 | £2.62 | 114.75% |
| 2008 | £2.74 | 124.59% |
| 2009 | £2.80 | 129.51% |
| 2010 | £2.94 | 140.98% |
| 2011 | £3.08 | 152.46% |
| 2012 | £3.18 | 160.66% |
| 2013 | £3.29 | 169.67% |
| 2014 | £3.37 | 176.23% |
| 2015 | £3.45 | 182.79% |
| 2016 | £3.48 | 185.25% |
| 2017 | £3.58 | 193.44% |
| 2018 | £3.64 | 198.36% |
| 2019 | £3.70 | 203.28% |
| 2020 | £3.79 | 210.66% |
| 2021 | £3.96 | 224.59% |
| 2022 | £4.10 | 236.07% |
| 2023 | £4.56 | 273.77% |
| 2024 | £4.77 | 290.98% |
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.
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.
| Year | Average price of a load of bread | total % change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | £0.50 | |
| 1991 | £0.53 | 6.00% |
| 1992 | £0.54 | 8.00% |
| 1993 | £0.55 | 10.00% |
| 1994 | £0.50 | 0.00% |
| 1995 | £0.52 | 4.00% |
| 1996 | £0.55 | 10.00% |
| 1997 | £0.52 | 4.00% |
| 1998 | £0.51 | 2.00% |
| 1999 | £0.51 | 2.00% |
| 2000 | £0.52 | 4.00% |
| 2001 | £0.51 | 2.00% |
| 2002 | £0.57 | 14.00% |
| 2003 | £0.58 | 16.00% |
| 2004 | £0.64 | 28.00% |
| 2005 | £0.71 | 42.00% |
| 2006 | £0.81 | 62.00% |
| 2007 | £0.90 | 80.00% |
| 2008 | £1.19 | 138.00% |
| 2009 | £1.23 | 146.00% |
| 2010 | £1.20 | 140.00% |
| 2011 | £1.20 | 140.00% |
| 2012 | £1.24 | 148.00% |
| 2013 | £1.30 | 160.00% |
| 2014 | £1.16 | 132.00% |
| 2015 | £1.04 | 108.00% |
| 2016 | £1.00 | 100.00% |
| 2017 | £1.03 | 106.00% |
| 2018 | £1.06 | 112.00% |
| 2019 | £1.06 | 112.00% |
| 2020 | £1.05 | 110.00% |
| 2021 | £1.07 | 114.00% |
| 2022 | £1.23 | 146.00% |
| 2023 | £1.37 | 174.00% |
| 2024 | £1.40 | 180.00% |
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.
| Year | Average cost of a pint of milk | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | £0.31 | |
| 1991 | £0.32 | -73.44% |
| 1992 | £0.34 | -72.21% |
| 1993 | £0.34 | -71.89% |
| 1994 | £0.36 | -70.49% |
| 1995 | £0.36 | -70.41% |
| 1996 | £0.36 | -70.57% |
| 1997 | £0.35 | -71.23% |
| 1998 | £0.34 | -72.05% |
| 1999 | £0.34 | -71.97% |
| 2000 | £0.34 | -71.97% |
| 2001 | £0.37 | -70.00% |
| 2002 | £0.36 | -70.25% |
| 2003 | £0.37 | -70.00% |
| 2004 | £0.35 | -71.15% |
| 2005 | £0.35 | -71.39% |
| 2006 | £0.35 | -71.48% |
| 2007 | £0.37 | -69.84% |
| 2008 | £0.42 | -65.49% |
| 2009 | £0.44 | -63.85% |
| 2010 | £0.44 | -63.77% |
| 2011 | £0.45 | -62.87% |
| 2012 | £0.46 | -62.30% |
| 2013 | £0.46 | -62.30% |
| 2014 | £0.46 | -62.13% |
| 2015 | £0.43 | -64.51% |
| 2016 | £0.43 | -65.00% |
| 2017 | £0.43 | -64.59% |
| 2018 | £0.44 | -63.85% |
| 2019 | £0.44 | -63.85% |
| 2020 | £0.43 | -64.67% |
| 2021 | £0.43 | -64.84% |
| 2022 | £0.57 | -53.11% |
| 2023 | £0.67 | -44.92% |
| 2024 | £0.65 | -46.64% |
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.
Matt Mckenna
UK Head of Communications
T: +44 20 8191 8806
Discover how green mortgages work, who offers them and how to qualify.
Read more…
There’s plenty of things you need to find your perfect home. Is a mortgage broker one of them? Here are the pros and cons.
Read more…
If you’re looking to buy your first property this year, here’s our breakdown of who to talk to about what from estate agents to ISA providers.
Read more…
Use our mortgage rate change calculator to work out how much your mortgage payments will go up if the interest rate changes.
Read more…
Official data shows that 63% of people in England and Wales own their home. We look at the latest home ownership statistics in the UK.
Read more…
If you’re looking to remortgage in 2024, check out how to remortgage smarter – including securing your rate ahead of time.
Read more…
Official data shows that 63% of people in England and Wales own their home. We look at the latest home ownership statistics in the UK.
We looked into the latest buy-to-let statistics to see how many of these mortgages have been taken out and how many Brits are living in rental properties in the UK.
We look at the latest first-time buyer statistics to see how difficult it is to get your foot on the property ladder in the UK.
From the average mortgage payment and debt to how many outstanding mortgages there are, we explore the latest mortgage statistics in the UK.
All you need to know about an AlRayan Bank mortgages.
Our review reveals everything you need to know about Habito.
How do property prices in the UK compare to the rest of the world? We estimated the cost of a city centre 2-bed flat in 121 countries to find out.
Find out about the range of mortgages from Nationwide, plus what customers say about the lender.
Looking for a mortgage with The Co-operative Bank? Find out how to get the right mortgage for you.
