Two decades of increases: How inflation has affected staple products
Since 2005, the price of basic foods like eggs and bread as well as energy resources such as electricity and gasoline have skyrocketed.
Boxes of eggs at a Walmart in Houston
Primary necessities, also known as basic products, are those that are essential for everyone: from food to energy resources, health and hygiene items or clothing. Over the years, these goods have become more expensive, causing consumers to reevaluate what they need, directly affecting their lifestyle.
According to a graph from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), over the past two decades, the price of a large number of basic necessities has skyrocketed, some even tripling.
The BLS analysis details the monthly evolution of prices of staple goods from May 2005 to the present.
Food
One of the commodities that has risen the most is eggs, an essential food because of its high amount of nutrients like proteins, healthy fats and vitamins. In 2005, consumers paid $1.19 per pound. Today, in 2025, that price has risen to $4.55.
Continuing with food, another item that has risen considerably is ground beef, increasing from $2.57 per pound to $6.02.
The same goes for chicken, a food rich in protein and minerals, which has increased from $1.05 per pound to $2.06.
Regarding fruits and vegetables, indispensable in the diet of any person, prices have also risen. An example is bananas, which two decades ago cost $0.50 per pound and, now, $0.66. Consumers of oranges shell out $1.56 per pound and, in 2005, $0.90.
The same is not true for tomatoes, whose price has fallen from $1.91 per pound to $1.71. Bread, meanwhile, now costs $1.88 per pound, while previously it was worth $1.09.
Finally, a gallon of milk has increased from the $3.21 it cost in 2005 to $4.02 today.
Evolution of commodity prices since 2005.
Energy resources
Aside from food, the prices of other staples, such as energy resources, have also skyrocketed.
Per kilowatt of electricity, consumers are currently paying up to $0.18, when in 2005 they paid $0.10.
Another energy resource whose price has risen is regular gasoline. Currently, a gallon is $3.31, while in 2005 it was $2.22.
For gas for domestic use, consumers paid $1.15 two decades ago; now they pay $1.63.
LATEST
