The post you're linking to is making a simple error. Consumers wants cheap, temporary clothes...so they can buy clothes more often. That's a legitimate preference (though not one I share).

As far as rent goes, it has gone up in real terms over the past 20 years. You can verify that by looking at government data. However, that doesn't tell us anything about the likely impact of AI. It's generally agreed that housing costs have gone up due to overregulation.

If the average wage buys less things, it means real purchasing power has decreased.