No but the dollar is worth about a third of what it was 20 years ago, at best.

You might not even realize the infrastructure that the school uses. Those big buildings are expensive and use tens of thousands of dollars in electricity every month. If your school has shuttles to take people back and forth to the dorms or parking, that is also a constant expense. The library has to pay tens of thousands of dollars for access to academic databases. Computer labs, printing, internet, security, and so on. It all adds up quick.

https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ tells me the dollar is worth 60% of what it was worth in 2004, that’s a lot more than a third. Where did you get that figure from?

The real rate of inflation is higher than what they say it is. Some products have gotten cheaper due to outsourcing but almost everything that matters (education, health care, housing) has exploded in price over the last 20 years. So has the money supply.

If you want more honest numbers, try https://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/inflation-charts

Realistically, prices are up 40% since the pandemic alone. That's a lot less than 20 years.

Not to be an ass, but if you weren't an adult in 2004, your opinion on this is going to be unduely skewed by propaganda I'm afraid. Not every old person has such a clear view of things either but having lived back then sure makes a big difference in perspective. Idk how anyone with basic number sense who has shopped for anything like a normal person can think inflation is less than 10% per year.

I don’t think your link is saying that.

It lists cumulative inflation at 64.x% for that year range.

For what I could buy for $1 in 2004

It would now cost me $1.64 in 2024.

Yes, now divide 1 by 1.64 to get the value of one 2024 dollar in 2004 and you get 60.98 cents.

Apologies,

I misunderstood your comment.

When I originally read it, I for some reason thought you were saying that… well essentially the opposite of what you are saying.