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HOUSING Ask any city dweller or empty nester looking to move in the past year just how high home prices have surged. With the pandemic driving people out of cities in search of larger

spaces, home prices have been climbing at a rapid rate. Add a surge in the cost of building supplies and a shortage of construction workers, and countless people have been paying a lot to

purchase a home. Even worse, many would-be buyers have been shut out of the market altogether. But it’s not just the past 12 months that have seen housing prices rise. They have steadily

increased over the previous decade. Consider this: In February 2012, the median price (meaning half were more, half were less) for a home was $239,900, and the average price was $274,000. As

of the end of 2021, the median price had jumped to $377,700, and the average price has increased to $457,300.  Rent, too, has gone up over the past decade. In 2012, fair market rent for a

two-bedroom apartment was $1,059 in California, $905 in New York, $630 in Georgia and $1,506 in Washington, D.C. Fast-forward to 2022, and those figures are $1,533 in California, $1,138 in

New York, $853 in Georgia and $1,785 in Washington, D.C.  ENTERTAINMENT Whether you’re dining out, seeing a live show or going to the movies, chances are you’re paying more for fun than a

year ago, let alone 10 years ago. The cost of entertainment has been rising, particularly in the past 12 months, thanks to pent-up demand brought on by the pandemic. But the increases extend

beyond the most recent price hikes. Consider the following changes since 2012.  Inflation is a constant worry, especially for anyone living on a fixed income. Over the past 50 years, the

Consumer Price Index has averaged a 3.9 percent 12-month increase. In other words, to equal the buying power of $100 in 1972, you’d need $684 today. To equal the buying power of $100 in

2012, you’d need $124 today. _Donna Fuscaldo is a contributing writer and editor focusing on personal finance and health. She has spent over two decades writing and covering news for

several national publications including the _Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Investopedia _and _HerMoney_._