Expensive is now the norm

[MarkKol]

Isn't it interesting how it's no longer possible to live a good life cheaply? It's not just that prices went up for everything. A cheap life has become basically a boring life in the Western world. I make significantly more than my peers in my country. I have a 2 bedroom fully paid off house at 22 years old with no mortgage and no loan. I have a car with no car loan. And still, it's not enough because every way to have fun after high school/college is basically paid. I feel like back in the day, 100 years ago, people could have fun for cheap because they could live in a village. That village would have so many people living there. So many men and women would stay because they didn't pursue higher education.

 

Now, all the big cities basically suck all the population out of these villages and towns, leaving nobody there, pretty much. This means that you have to pay city rent and live in a city to have any form of social life or fun in your life outside of work. And not just any small to medium sized city, pretty much the biggest city in your country 

 

Every Instagram story, every Facebook story, every social media post is about something paid. You're never going to see a story about someone having fun for free these days. It's always going to be about travel, some foreign country. Some concert, something paid. There's no more free fun, which basically forces everyone to work more and to earn more to live a basic life. I feel like, in 2026, this is more of a personal opinion, but the only way to build a social life is to join a group or take part in some kind of social activity, like a running club, for example. And even if these activities or groups may be cheap or free to join, you still have to pay 40%, 50%, 60% of your income to live in a place where it's even possible to do this. There are no running clubs, activities, or groups in a village or a town. It's all in the big cities. I don't know anybody who has a rich social life who doesn't live in a big city. Every person I know who lives in the village is basically a hermit, plays video games all day, or does something that has absolutely no social aspect to it. It's so easy to just go to work, get in your car, and drive back home and do absolutely nothing else. Which makes you so lazy and complacent, and it's like all the life and character just drain out of you after high school or college.

 

This is not me complaining, just sharing the truth about how life works in 2026. 

This thread may sound weird because I wrote it with Wispr Flow, just so you know. 

Edited 17 hours ago by MarkKol

[Yimpa]

9 hours ago, MarkKol said:

This thread may sound weird because I wrote it with Wispr Flow, just so you know. 

I’ve never heard about this app. How does it work!

[Joseph Maynor]

Everything has gotten way more expensive over the last 20 years IMO.  

[Jirh]

@MarkKol Sounds like you're depressed or bought into social delusions, or both.

@Joseph Maynor Actually, most things are cheaper now, but the inflation gives the illusion of expensive.

[Joseph Maynor]

19 minutes ago, Jirh said:

@MarkKol Sounds like you're depressed or bought into social delusions, or both.

@Joseph Maynor Actually, most things are cheaper now, but the inflation gives the illusion of expensive.

When you are the one paying for everything you get a different perspective.  

[Jirh]

8 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

When you are the one paying for everything you get a different perspective.  

I pay for everything. And what you said is not even an argument. It's just dismissal.

[Joseph Maynor]

1 minute ago, Jirh said:

I pay for everything. And what you said is not even an argument. It's just dismissal.

Good for you.  

[niko123]

31 minutes ago, Jirh said:

Actually, most things are cheaper now, but the inflation gives the illusion of expensive.

I earn aprox. 1300€ monthly. I bought a car. A 2008 Toyota Yaris.  Just to pay insurance and for oil + filters it cost me 700€ (not to mention gas, registration fees, etc.)

All for the reason OP mentioned - to have a social life, as I live in a small town. 

A meal in a restaurant costs 40€. That's half my daily salary. You either earn or step back from social life.

 

[Jirh]

11 minutes ago, niko123 said:

I earn aprox. 1300€ monthly. I bought a car. A 2008 Toyota Yaris.  Just to pay insurance and for oil + filters it cost me 700€ (not to mention gas, registration fees, etc.)

Most of the cost is extra gadgets that weren't there before. Compare iPhone 2007 ($500) with iPhone 17 ($800). Both phones have the same basic functionality, but the extra features come with a price, and it's much cheaper than you'd expect.

Same with cars and other electronic stuff. You're paying for more than the thing itself. But it's not always obvious.

6 minutes ago, niko123 said:

A meal in a restaurant costs 40€. That's half my daily salary. You either earn or step back from social life.

Restaurant meal is a luxury, not a necessity. There's an entire system of services involved with it, so it's not the same as just "food".

It also seems you're equating consumerism with social life, but you don't have to pay to have a conversation with a friend. If your friends demand restaurant settings, then maybe it's time to upgrade.

But even if you have to, it's still affordable. One nice restaurant meal per week won't make you broke. It's maybe 10% of your income. You still have 90%.

[niko123]

4 minutes ago, Jirh said:

Restaurant meal is a luxury, not a necessity. There's an entire system of services involved with it, so it's not the same as just "food".

It also seems you're equating consumerism with social life, but you don't have to pay to have a conversation with a friend. If your friends demand restaurant settings, then maybe it's time to upgrade.

I gave the restaurant meal as an example. Of course you don't need it to hang out, same as you don't need a gym membership to work out.

If you want to go to a nature reserve - gas money. Me and my friends live 30km from eachother, so each - even free - hangout, is gas money. You are a consumer whether you like it or not, and life comes with a lot of hidden tax, and that cost racks up.

At some point you decide that you also want to save up some money, invest some money etc; so you have to choose - either earn more or spend less.

Spending less has it's limits, because at some point the bottleneck in your spending will be your social hangouts. I will gladly not buy the new Witcher, if it means I can spend quality time with my loved ones.

In small cities, there are rarely options to earn up. A big city however comes with a bigger cost of life. So the wheel continues.

Yes, being frugal helps a lot, but frugality has different limits for different people.

I think bottom line is that life is just harder for people who have to work for everything themselves, rather than being priviledged.

[Jirh]

@niko123 I agree. I think life is hard for everyone, in every time and place. It's never been easy, even for the privileged. Everyone deals with challenges in life, some are hidden and some more obvious. I think life feels harder when we try to optimize for a lifestyle that's not compatible with our reality. A perfect life becomes boring quickly, too. I guess this struggle is just part of evolution and being human. What's the fun in playing a finished game?

[niko123]

@Jirh Yes. Everyone has their own problems. But you make a great point with the "finished game". A puzzle is only fun when you are figuring it out, and most fun in the moment that you got it. Not so much later.