• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
FinanceInflation

Bacon costs 19% more than it did in 2020: How much soaring inflation has caused everyday expenses to rise

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 13, 2021, 7:30 PM ET

You don’t have to go too far to see the real-world effects of inflation.

The consumer price index was up 0.4% in September from August and is up 5.4% from a year ago, a 13-year high. But broad numbers like that don’t always resonate with people. It’s the price changes in individual, everyday items that show the real impact on their wallet.

Retailers are fighting inflation in a variety of ways, including shrinking packaging sizes to keep prices the same so customers don’t always know they’re paying more for less. So rather than diving into the reasons for inflation (ranging from worker shortages to supply-chain issues to energy costs), we thought it would be more effective to show how today’s prices compare with those of a year ago.

Food and beverage inflation

Bacon: +19.3% over the past year

Ground beef: +10.8%

Pork ribs: +19.2%

Chicken: +7.6%

Ham: +7%

Fresh fish: +10.7%

Eggs: +12.6%

Apples: +7.8%

Lettuce: +5%

Carbonated drinks: +5.3%

Salad dressing: +7.2%

Peanut butter: +6.2%

Food from vending machines: +6%

Beer (retail, not at a restaurant or bar): +3%

Wine (retail, not at a restaurant or bar): +1.6%

Energy inflation

Gasoline: +42.1%

Propane, kerosene, and firewood: +27.6%

Natural gas: +20.6%

Consumer goods inflation

Rental cars: +42.9%

Living room, kitchen, and dining room furniture: +13.7%

Washer and dryer: +19.1%

Paper towels and other household paper products: +5.3%

Women’s dresses: +9.5%

Children’s shoes: +11.9%

New cars: +8.8%

Used cars: +24.4%

TVs: +12.7%

Cigarettes: +7%

Hotel rooms: +17.5%

Haircuts: +5%

More finance coverage from Fortune:

  • Oct. 15 deadline looms for people who obtained 2021 tax extension
  • Where Zillow says home prices are headed in 2022
  • Nearly 90% of Americans now use fintech—with Boomers the fastest-growing demo
  • Commentary: Pay streaming is about to upend salaries as we know them
  • Gas prices have more than tripled in the last 18 months—and are likely to go higher

Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning.

About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

A woman measures a little boy's height against the kitchen wall
Economyaffordability
‘Almost unmanageable’: Raising a child in the U.S. now costs more than $300,000
By Jacqueline MunisApril 12, 2026
29 minutes ago
haiti
EnergyInflation
Haiti stares down starvation as Iran War drives 200,000 into acute food emergency status
By Evens Sanon, Danica Coto and The Associated PressApril 12, 2026
56 minutes ago
cars
EconomyAutos
‘I just keep seeing a lot of different aspects of life getting more expensive’: New car prices are up 30% over 6 years
By Alexa St. John and The Associated PressApril 12, 2026
1 hour ago
View of the Augusta National Golf Club
Real EstateGolf
A 93-year-old refused to sell her home to the Masters golf course that’s spent $280 million on expansion: ‘Money ain’t everything’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezApril 12, 2026
2 hours ago
grantham
Investingbubble
Legendary investor says the AI boom masks a deeper crisis: Falling sperm counts, shrinking populations, and vanishing resources
By Nick LichtenbergApril 12, 2026
2 hours ago
middle
EconomyWealth
Turns out the American middle class didn’t die. It got richer—and felt poorer
By Nick LichtenbergApril 12, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

'This is the last warning.' Iran threatens U.S. warships after they throw down the gauntlet for winner-take-all Strait of Hormuz
Politics
'This is the last warning.' Iran threatens U.S. warships after they throw down the gauntlet for winner-take-all Strait of Hormuz
By Fortune EditorsApril 11, 2026
15 hours ago
Palantir CEO says AI ‘will destroy’ humanities jobs but there will be ‘more than enough jobs’ for people with vocational training
Future of Work
Palantir CEO says AI ‘will destroy’ humanities jobs but there will be ‘more than enough jobs’ for people with vocational training
By Fortune EditorsApril 11, 2026
1 day ago
The 'affordability economy' has created a housing market nobody predicted: Prices collapsing in the Sun Belt, soaring in the Rust Belt
Real Estate
The 'affordability economy' has created a housing market nobody predicted: Prices collapsing in the Sun Belt, soaring in the Rust Belt
By Fortune EditorsApril 11, 2026
1 day ago
Warren Buffett says 'accumulating great amounts of money' doesn’t achieve greatness—He still lives in a $31,500 Nebraska home and clipped coupons
Success
Warren Buffett says 'accumulating great amounts of money' doesn’t achieve greatness—He still lives in a $31,500 Nebraska home and clipped coupons
By Fortune EditorsApril 11, 2026
1 day ago
Navy tests Hormuz blockade as expert says U.S. military prepares for round 2 and could degrade Iran's hold over the strait to a 'manageable level'
Politics
Navy tests Hormuz blockade as expert says U.S. military prepares for round 2 and could degrade Iran's hold over the strait to a 'manageable level'
By Fortune EditorsApril 11, 2026
21 hours ago
2 years ago, Saudi Arabia quietly canceled the ‘petrodollar’ deal with America that wired the world economy for 50 years. Then war broke out in Iran
Energy
2 years ago, Saudi Arabia quietly canceled the ‘petrodollar’ deal with America that wired the world economy for 50 years. Then war broke out in Iran
By Fortune EditorsApril 7, 2026
5 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.