How does the cost of living compare to a previous generation?

Are you struggling with how expensive everything is? Was it this hard 30 years ago? Come with me as I compare the cost of living in one of the most expensive cities in the world with how things were in 1996, when people running the country now were just starting out. Let's start with getting around. This bus and tube journey cost me over six pounds. In 1996, the same journey would have cost half. What about the everyday stuff, like your morning coffee? Welcome to Little Treat Culture, where buying yourself a coffee feels like a reward for surviving the week. It's reported that more than half of Gen Z buy themselves a little treat every week. But with UK inflation rising to 3.6% so far this year, driven by higher fuel prices amid the US war on Iran, even small indulgences can feel harder to justify. Honestly, the world feels uncertain, economically, politically, existentially. So psychologists say these micro-moments of affordable joy create a feeling of a certain control and agency. What about groceries? An average weekly grocery shop for one person in London typically costs between £40 and £60, and that's double what it was 30 years ago. How about education? In 1996, students in England didn't pay a penny. Today, British citizens can pay over £9,000 a year. That's £30,000 for a three-year course. That's not even factoring in interest on the government-funded student loans, which for many, like myself, has cost more than the degree itself. And rent, the big one. Millennials and Gen Z are by and large locked out of the housing market. So how much does rent swallow from a typical wage? The median salary in London is around £47,455, according to the ONS. That's 22% higher than the rest of the country. The average monthly rent for a room here is around £1,000. 30 years ago, a 26-year-old Andy Burnham would have paid less than £300 a month. I haven't even factored in how what an older generation would have taken as a given, but one which we'd need to budget for these days. Now, of course, things were much cheaper in 1996. But if we adjust those figures for inflation, we can see just how much of that is money losing its value and how much comes down to the cost of living outpacing what people earn. 30 years ago, many of the politicians running countries in Europe were just starting out. Now as Gen Z takes to the streets, are today's politicians doing enough to make life affordable? What has become unaffordable for you? Let us know in the comments.