“Tuition adjusting for inflation was vastly cheaper in the 70s than it is now.
Houses as measured by % of average wages were also significantly cheaper than they are now.”
Yep, The minimum wage I earned in 1978 is about $14.50 an hour today based upon cpi inflation calculator.
My neighbor was a Monkey Ward manager and he offered me a job in 1980 working in the local warehouse-a flunky job. $6.75 hour plus full health, life and dental insurance and a small pension plan.
I believe that 6.75 is equal to about $22-23.00 hr today.
I declined and went onto college.
The young folks do have it rougher. I feel for them.
while cleaning out my deceased mother's things, I came across a bill from the hospital for the birth of my oldest sister (1955). $250 for 7 day stay in hospital, including attending doctor and anesthesiologist, and some jaundice treatment for the baby.
We estimate Dad made about $5000/year as a young middle manager at a local industrial plant, which was also just about the median income of the USA at that time also. So, it cost Dad 5% of his annual salary for him and mom to have a child. Seems reasonable to me. That is absolutely impossible today.