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Re:Show HN: The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/... by ahmedfromtunis on Thursday September 10, 2026 @07:21AM (#49641819)
Any price comparison over time should include inflation.

Otherwise this is akin to comparing speed of 2 objects in a relativistic setting without stating the frame of reference.

Side note: I don't know why, but the existence of a "cite this" section on this page made me sad.

Re:Show HN: The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/... by jbs789 on Thursday September 10, 2026 @07:42AM (#49642056)
This site is showing you inflation!

The relevant comparison would be your individual wages.

Re:Show HN: The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/... by vehemenz on Thursday September 10, 2026 @07:50AM (#49642170)
Showing the CPI next to these price increases wouldn’t hurt. If anything, it shows the problem with a single measure of inflation.
Re:Show HN: The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/... by dingaling on Thursday September 10, 2026 @08:39AM (#49642790)
CPI is based on prices such as these, so it provides no useful signal.
Re:Show HN: The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/... by ahmedfromtunis on Thursday September 10, 2026 @08:52AM (#49642931)
Are you saying that a single data point contains the same amount of information as a dataset of hundreds if not thousands of entries from across the economy?
Re:Show HN: The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/... by HDThoreaun on Thursday September 10, 2026 @12:31PM (#49646463)
Completely wrong. CPI is based on the prices of all things people buy. Comparing inflation in one sector to inflation in the whole economy is a very useful signal.
Re:Show HN: The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/... by Pavilion2095 on Thursday September 10, 2026 @07:48AM (#49642146)
Inflation isn't accurate variable because salaries of many people are lagging behind inflation.
Re:Show HN: The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/... by bko on Thursday September 10, 2026 @07:37AM (#49641984)
I think the point is that inflation numbers are bs. The official number from 2021 to today is 23%. But we didn't see prices only 23%. A restaurant mean didn't go from $20 to $25. It easily went up 50% or more.

Inflation isn't some force of nature that needs to be accounted for like the curvature of the earth.

Re:Show HN: The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/... by consensus1 on Thursday September 10, 2026 @08:26AM (#49642632)
I assume you got that > 50% number from actual CPI data and not just vibes, right?
Re:Show HN: The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/... by bko on Friday September 11, 2026 @11:39AM (#49660268)
When the data and the anecdotes disagree, the anecdotes are usually right.

There's literally trillions at stake for under-reporting these numbers. A lot of government benefits are tied to this not to mention political ramifications of high inflation. So I'll go with vibes (i.e. experienced reality) over some government re-balanced basket formula

Re:Show HN: The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/... by CPLX on Thursday September 10, 2026 @07:42AM (#49642061)
This IS inflation.

That's like saying your snow report for skiing should be adjusted for weather.

Re:Show HN: The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/... by _vertigo on Thursday September 10, 2026 @10:16AM (#49644102)
No, it's like making a snow report for a handful of skiing areas in a small geographical area (e.g. Sierras) and then contextualizing it against the snow report for all skiing areas in the broader region (e.g. Western US).
Re:Show HN: The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/... by astura on Thursday September 10, 2026 @07:38AM (#49641989)
Agreed, $95.91 a month in 2021-03 is $120.91 in July 2026 dollars. The current cost is $154.41, so it grew $33.50 a month after accounting for inflation.

I am probably an outlier but I don't honestly know how much someone can watch on theses services to be always subscribed, I subscribe to watch something and unsubscribe after a month or two because that's when I'm well and done. My husband had some free three months of Disney+ and I don't think either of us watched a single thing on there in that three months. Tubi has better content than Disney+.