One thing that happened since 1999 is the rise of price discrimination at fast food restaurants (well price discrimination in general, but fast food is easiest to see). If you have the App, you can get that $5.59 big Mac with a free fry and drink. Without the app, the meal is probably close to $10. (Just a made up example, but in general app coupons seem to often save 30-50% over not using coupons).
In about the same period Taco Bell had the .79/.89/.99 menu options. You could feed a family of four for about $10. Now even the $5 combo box is becoming rare.
Simple burgers were $0.29 and cheeseburgers $0.39 at McD's the whole time I was in high school in the early aughts.
Re:How Far Does $1 from 1999 Go Today?
by PopAlongKid on Monday October 16, 2023 @10:47AM
(#37900578)
>- 2 bacon, egg and cheese biscuits for $2. Now one biscuit (normally) is $3.89 and they run 2 for $5 specials
But the chickens now live cage-free and (thanks to California) the pigs will now be able to turn around in their pens.
The Big Mac Index shows the price of a big mac in 2000 at $2.24, and now at $5.58, so that would put $1 in 2000 at $2.49 in 2020 which feels a lot closer to the actual number...but still low because everything "around" the entree has also increased similarly, if not more.