I think everyone has quibbles about the CPI. Ultimately though, it would take a lot of cherry-picking to make it seem like overall cost of living has gone up 3x while wages have gone up less. As a counterexample, an NES game in 1990 cost $50 new (in 1990 dollars! Not adjusted for inflation). Battlefield 6 cost $70 new this year (in 2025 dollars), and there were widespread complaints about games getting "too expensive." In real terms games have become massively less expensive — especially considering that the budget for Battlefield 6 was $400MM, and the budget for Super Mario World in 1990 was less than $2MM.

There are a zillion examples like this. Housing has gone way up adjusted for inflation, but many other things have gone way, way down adjusted for inflation. I think it's hard to make a case that overall cost of living has gone up faster than median wages, and the federal reports indicate the opposite: median real income has been going up steadily for decades.

Housing cost is visible and (of course, since it's gone up so much) painful. But real median income is not underwater relative to the 90s. And there's always outrage when something costs more than it used to, even if that's actually cheaper adjusted for inflation: for example, the constant outrage about videogame prices, which have in fact massively declined despite requiring massively more labor to make and sell.

Housing, vehicles, groceries, and health insurance are all up massively. Who gives a shit how much a game costs if you can't afford groceries and rent?

Fortunately, you are wrong. The cost of milk in 1995 was $2.50/gallon; today, it's about $4.13/gallon — which is less than inflation since 1995. Ditto for many other grocery products: although you can always cherry pick some that have gone up relative to inflation (e.g. eggs), there are many that gave gone down. Groceries are tracked by the CPI.

Vehicles are also cheaper relative to inflation. In 1995, a new Toyota Camry cost $16k base. Today, a new Toyota Camry costs $28k base, which is less than inflation on $16k since 1995 — while being much safer, faster, larger, more comfortable, with a better sound system, and more fuel-efficient. Vehicle prices are tracked by the CPI, as well.

We can keep going. How about a pair of canvas Converse sneakers in 1995? $30 new. Today, 30 years later with 112% inflation: $60 new, aka, slightly cheaper relative to inflation than in the 90s.

I'm guessing you use a laptop for work. Let's see: in 1991, an Apple Powerbook cost a little over $2k. Today, you can buy a Macbook Air that makes the 1991 laptop seem like an abnormally heavy and ugly calculator for $1k. Is it unfair that I'm using laptops rather than desktops? Okay, let's look at desktops: in 1998 when the iMac launched, it cost $1299. Today, a massively faster iMac with a much larger screen costs... $1299.

Etc etc.

As per my original comment: you are right that housing has gone way up. But not everything has, and wages have gone up as well, and it would be very hard to claim overall cost of living is up 3x while wages are up less.

In 2010 I paid 3k for a 10 year old truck with 100k miles. That same truck today costs easily 15k. Same story for rent. Same story for groceries. Same story for health insurance.

Who gives a shit how much trinkets costs if you can't afford groceries and rent?