10 Things That Were Affordable 50 Years Ago That Now Only The Rich Can Buy Often
Drazen Zigic | Shutterstock Less than 50 years ago, things were different when it came to money. Almost anyone could buy what were then considered essentials, but now they're things only the rich can afford.
Research shows that, in most states, the average single person with no kids would need almost a $100,000 yearly salary to comfortably afford all of the necessities of life. Add kids and a dependent partner into the mix and that number skyrockets. This is a number that many middle-class people (especially those with families!) don't even come close to.
When you think about all of the things that average, normal people have been forced to give up in recent years as prices rise and wages don't, it almost makes you want to cry.
Less than 50 years ago, almost anyone could buy 10 things only the rich can afford now
1. Tickets for concerts and sports events
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The average cost of a concert ticket has skyrocketed compared to the past decade — increasing from $60 in 2010 to $132 in 2025. Even since 2019, the average price of concert tickets has increased by 38%!
Not only has the increase in these costs affected musical performances, but also big-name comedy shows and many sporting events have also been impacted at rates significantly higher than inflation.
For single people or individuals without kids, these events might still be accessible, but for families making less than six figures, it’s close to impossible. This price disparity for once-communal events is contributing to the sacrifice that many families are having to make today, giving up fun time spent together outside of the home, for the bare necessities and bills.
2. Recreational sports for kids
When you brainstorm hobbies that only the wealthy can afford, what comes to mind? Horse racing? Polo? Yachting? Skiing? Well, those things are still almost solely reserved for the very rich, but not some youth sports are, as well.
These days, youth sports programs, like baseball, soccer, and swimming, have gotten too expensive for many families to afford. According to Project Play, as of 2024 family spending on youth sports rose to a whopping 46% in just five years.
Not only have community-funded “rec teams” (the kind you sign up for through your city's parks & rec office) become less popular and less accessible, there comes an age when kids need to move on to very expensive for-profit travel teams, or they get left behind, no longer good enough to make their high school teams. According to experts, the decline in access to these teams has had a significant impact on teen mental health.
Once your kid is playing travel or club ball, not only do you have to buy their equipment and pay the enrollment fees, you need to pay for travel, even if it's just an hour away from home. With skyrocketing gas prices, this can easily become prohibitive, especially if one parent needs to take time off from work to get the child there. And in this economy, few parents have that luxury on a regular basis.
3. Quality clothing with ethical origins
Not only have average apparel prices risen by over 5% in the past few years, it’s becoming more and more difficult to purchase “quality” pieces. In the world of fast fashion, it’s become almost impossible to find quality pieces made from materials like cotton, wool, or silk.
Online clothing retailers, even the popular ones whose clothes are some of the cheapest on the market, are made from materials like polyester and lycra. Not only have these materials been shown to irritate your skin, but they also contribute to climate change in how they're manufactured. In addition, these flimsy garments fall apart or otherwise become unwearable and are then thrown into landfills. Even when donated, most end up in the garbage or even dumped into developing countries where they litter the landscape and bog people down into poverty.
It’s a vicious cycle. Richer families have access to clothing that’s healthier to wear, longer lasting, and better for the climate, while lower-income people are forced to purchase and repurchase garments that don't last and end up being bad for everyone.
4. Purchasing a ‘starter’ home
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The sad reality is that almost nobody can afford to buy a home today. With rising costs of living and stagnant wages, it’s relatively impossible.
First-time home buyers are facing unprecedented barriers to buying a starter home. According to CBS News in 2024, "Only four years ago, people with annual earnings of $40,500 could afford a typical starter house." By 2024 that number rose to $76,000 per year.
While the cost of buying a first home has only increased by 2-4% since that report, much slower than in previous years, so have pretty much all other costs. This still requires more money, something people seem to only have less of these days.
5. Vacations
Considering low- and middle-class families in the U.S. today are struggling to just pay for the bare necessities, it makes sense that vacations are being put on the back burner. Rather than saving for future vacations, many are budgeting just to afford rent, childcare, and groceries.
According to experts and various reports, the cost of transportation is the reason costs are so high, and the skyrocketing cost of gas makes even a road trim challenging for the average American familiy.
6. Adequate nutrition and healthy foods
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Families are not focusing on purchasing the healthiest, most organic food options for their children these days. It's not because they’re unhealthy or lazy, but because they can’t afford it. As if parents aren’t already feeling that guilty burden of food nutrition and insecurity, there’s also the input of millionaires in the food industry to add fuel to the fire shaming them for not doing better.
Not only are American families not getting enough food without government supplementation, with over 53% of adults saying they don’t have access to affordable food, but they’re not getting the right kinds of food and nutrition either. Fresh produce, healthy meats, and whole grains are a luxury now, and even young people's health outcomes are showing the effects of this change.
7. Privacy
Middle-class Americans can’t afford homes, so where are they living? Apartments, condos, their parent’s houses, even shelters.
While these places are often the only affordable option (or the only option at all), they are also void of privacy, whether that be closeness to your neighbors or your parents' continual input. Money might not buy happiness, but it can buy land, privacy, and room from your neighbors, which might be nearly the same thing.
8. Healthcare costs
Healthcare costs have turned into a completely absurd expense for many families. According to Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, "The cost of health insurance in 2026 has risen significantly for many Americans, whether they have coverage through their employers, Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans, Medicare, or Medicaid."
The article reports that "between 2023 and 2024, spending rose another 7.2%
, amounting to over $15,000 per person, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services" and that 74% of that was just for premiums. This includes people who get healthcare through their employer.
As a result, too many people are cutting back on coverage, carrying the very basic coverage for catastrophes. Even with that type of coverage, a major health issue or injury could bankrupt them. Others are cutting back on any treatment or medication that isn't absolutely necessary, even if that means their quality of life goes way down.
Sadly, there are even people who cut out life-sustaining medications, stretching out doses and hoping for the best. This has ended tragically too many times, in ways people living in the same areas couldn't have imagined 50 years ago.
9. Random maintenance bills and utilities
No matter where you live, an apartment, a house, a rental or something you own, you will have to pay utilities. For some people, the rising costs of basic utilities cause major problems in ways most people didn't face 50 years ago.
According to news reported by CBS based on census bureau surveys, "around one in three Americans said they had to forgo paying a basic expense in 2024 to afford their energy bills."
"All told, 56 million Americans will see higher utility bills," the article explains due to a 2025 approval of rate hikes. This comes on top of local and regional increases, especially in areas prone to natural disasters like wildfires.
While older generations were frugal with their utilities before, it was rare that a family with a solid middle-class income had to give up other necessities inorder to afford their utilities and basic maintenance.
10. A somewhat decent car
While used cars are generally considered a better value, and likely better for the earth, too, there was a time when the average family could afford a new car. These days, more people than ever will go their whole lives without buying a new vehicle.
NPR reports that "the cost of owning a car is up 40.59% since January 2020, according to an index from Navy Federal Credit Union." This article quotes Heather Long from NFCU, saying, "In 2023 and 2024, car insurance really surged, adding hundreds of dollars a year for many Americans."
As Kelly Blue Book explains, the cost of owning any car is more than just the price of buying it. While purchase prices have gotten higher, even relative to average income, insurance, maintenance, gas and registration have skyrocketed, too. Insurance and registration, and sometimes car parts, are more expensive in new cars, making a new car even more unattainable for the average person today compared to 50 years ago.
While some of the items on this list of things are absolutely essential to people's health and well-being, others may seem more like luxuries. Regardless of whether they're considered essential, they are things almost anyone could buy 50 years ago. Now, they're things too many people struggle to afford, and the consequences are sometimes quite dire.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango, focusing on pop culture analysis and human interest stories.
