{"title":"The same life as 30 years ago: what it costs now","asOf":"2026-10-20","method":"One median full-time earner lives the 1996 life: rents while saving, buys the average home, runs it, and buys what a 1996 household bought. Every cost is set against take-home pay. Aggregate figures only.","headline":{"text":"Work full time. Keep just 30p of every £1 to live on.","leftOfEachPound":{"y1996":48.03774188828956,"y2025":29.920896565182872},"wholeCostText":"The cost of buying a home has doubled against pay in our 30-year comparison.","wholeCostChangePct":28.25551991169446,"range":{"central":28.25551991169446,"low":24.402908063079632,"high":38.10776570189516,"basis":"Borrowing from 4.0 to 5.5 times pay, and index-priced lines on CPI or RPI"},"widerRange":{"low":20.934915173302613,"high":41.52767992837252}},"central":{"takeHome":{"y1996":{"gross":15657.2,"tax":2698.128,"ni":1311.9600000000003,"pension":0,"net":11647.112},"y2025":{"gross":39863.200000000004,"tax":5458.640000000001,"ni":2183.4560000000006,"pension":0,"net":32221.104000000003},"ratio":2.7664457936010236},"home":{"y1996":{"deposit":5341.525000000001,"yearsSaving":2.293068444778414,"rentPaid":8536.360038007706,"mortgagePaid":102563.1147954343,"total":116440.99983344201,"totalYearsOfTakeHome":9.997413936900582,"yearsToOwn":27.293068444778413,"shareOfWindow":36.629864308324926,"loan":48073.725,"term":25,"ratePct":7.185,"monthlyPayment":318.5257993181143},"y2025":{"deposit":87896.84999999998,"yearsSaving":13.639639721841927,"rentPaid":220089.77213723023,"mortgagePaid":346823.6806663227,"total":654810.302803553,"totalYearsOfTakeHome":20.32240431003087,"yearsToOwn":48.63963972184193,"shareOfWindow":74.45994704167775,"loan":179384.40000000002,"term":35,"ratePct":4.29,"monthlyPayment":825.7706682531492},"ratio":2.0327661171476175},"lines":[{"id":"home","name":"The home: rent while saving, deposit, mortgage","share1996":36.629864308324926,"share2025":74.45994704167775,"change":103.27661171476174,"effect":37.830082733352825,"basis":"home"},{"id":"Gas and electricity","name":"Gas and electricity","share1996":2.962452267415375,"share2025":4.0147249630473665,"change":35.52032575195072,"effect":1.0522726956319914,"basis":"bill"},{"id":"Council Tax","name":"Council Tax","share1996":2.1654700070783073,"share2025":2.7626911529509464,"change":27.579285047610558,"effect":0.5972211458726391,"basis":"bill"},{"id":"Phones TV and internet","name":"Phones, TV and internet","share1996":1.9199012433890146,"share2025":2.186893151485397,"change":13.90654383998875,"effect":0.2669919080963825,"basis":"bill"},{"id":"Water","name":"Water and sewerage","share1996":0.799214703643334,"share2025":0.7899700543160288,"change":-1.1567166225999292,"effect":-0.009244649327305177,"basis":"bill"},{"id":"Repairs and home insurance","name":"Repairs and home insurance","share1996":1.5426183246300107,"share2025":1.4686883895584584,"change":-4.792496879568963,"effect":-0.07392993507155232,"basis":"bill"},{"id":"Leisure","name":"Leisure and going out","share1996":10.624197694521305,"share2025":10.014421221354446,"change":-5.739506085069445,"effect":-0.6097764731668587,"basis":"price"},{"id":"Motoring and fares","name":"Motoring and fares","share1996":11.130962325043752,"share2025":10.02266496876724,"change":-9.956887139784264,"effect":-1.1082973562765126,"basis":"price"},{"id":"Food and drink","name":"Food and drink","share1996":12.553028711135383,"share2025":9.783068934084852,"change":-22.066067407249612,"effect":-2.7699597770505306,"basis":"price"},{"id":"Clothes alcohol and tobacco","name":"Clothes, alcohol and tobacco","share1996":8.489981893730723,"share2025":6.229551366119598,"change":-26.624680192549064,"effect":-2.260430527611126,"basis":"index"},{"id":"Health and other","name":"Health and other","share1996":3.3129458664991835,"share2025":2.3161327637872025,"change":-30.088421087463214,"effect":-0.9968131027119811,"basis":"index"},{"id":"Household goods","name":"Household goods","share1996":7.869362654588694,"share2025":4.2067659045451515,"change":-46.54248267371247,"effect":-3.6625967500435426,"basis":"index"}],"cash":{"rentMonthly1996":310.22333333333336,"rentMonthly2025":1344.67,"rentShare1996":31.962258111710444,"rentShare2025":50.07910343481713,"rentVsPay":1.5668199430649417,"mortgageMonthly1996":318.5257993181143,"mortgageMonthly2025":825.7706682531492,"mortgageShare1996":32.817659792550906,"mortgageShare2025":30.753905946356742,"depositRatio":16.455384932205686,"priceRatio":5.003837855294134,"priceToPay1996":3.411545487060266,"priceToPay2025":6.704962220795118}},"scenarios":{"lending":[{"id":"lend-4","label":"4.0 times pay","headline":31.815107456375635},{"id":"lend-4.5","label":"4.5 times pay","headline":28.25551991169446},{"id":"lend-5","label":"5.0 times pay","headline":24.695932367013217},{"id":"lend-5.5","label":"5.5 times pay","headline":24.402908063079632}],"lens":[{"id":"cpi","label":"Index-priced lines on CPI","headline":28.25551991169446},{"id":"rpi","label":"Index-priced lines on RPI","headline":34.54817815721396}],"rent":[{"id":"pipr","label":"ONS private rents index, UK mean (central)","headline":28.25551991169446},{"id":"survey","label":"Survey to survey: Family Expenditure Survey to Family Spending","headline":27.701554612360923},{"id":"ehs","label":"English Housing Survey, England","headline":23.391540685207367}],"food":[{"id":"food-low","label":"ONS matched prices","headline":27.366150008595813},{"id":"food-central","label":"Family Food unit values (central)","headline":28.25551991169446},{"id":"food-rpi","label":"RPI food","headline":28.368959950355}],"other":[{"id":"pension","label":"Workplace pension of 5% in both years","headline":31.40137414858486},{"id":"ten-percent","label":"10% deposit, 35-year mortgage at the 90% rate","headline":20.915381399791123},{"id":"home-all","label":"Everyone living at home pays 20% of the rent","headline":10.05770142636635},{"id":"home-mix","label":"A rough mix: about 20% at home in 1996, 28.7% now","headline":22.874083888478513}]},"bridges":{"fromPayAgainstPrices":[{"id":"gross","label":"Pay against prices, before tax","value":79.12804858308847,"change":-20.87195141691153,"detail":"Pay buys 26.4% more than in 1996, using median full-time gross pay and CPIH. This is the figure on the economy page."},{"id":"take-home","label":"Set against take-home pay","value":72.82262839943904,"change":-27.17737160056096,"detail":"Tax and National Insurance take a smaller share of pay than in 1996, so take-home pay rose ×2.8 against ×2.5 for gross pay."},{"id":"home","label":"Add the route to owning a home","value":120.60774547264657,"change":20.60774547264657,"detail":"The home goes from 37p to 74p of each £1, spread over the 1996 route length. Everything else is still priced with CPIH."},{"id":"basket","label":"Price the rest of the 1996 basket item by item","value":128.25551991169445,"change":28.25551991169445,"detail":"Bills, food, petrol, goods and the rest are priced with their own prices and indices instead of one overall index."}],"fromFirstVersion":{"start":29.331957662017196,"steps":[{"id":"weights","label":"Two spending weights corrected","keys":["repairs_1996"],"weights":true,"headline":29.58376094528308,"effect":0.2518032832658825,"note":"Health and other £15.84 → £14.84; repairs and insurance £8.02 → £6.91, from the named survey lines."},{"id":"mortgage-rate","label":"Mortgage rate at 90% loan-to-value","keys":["rate_2025_90"],"headline":29.58376094528308,"effect":0,"note":"4.876% → 4.79%, the mean of the twelve published 2025 values. It only matters when the loan passes 75% of the price."},{"id":"petrol","label":"Petrol on full-year means","keys":["petrol_1996","petrol_2025"],"headline":29.529486724392683,"effect":-0.05427422089039524,"note":"55.44p (January to September) → 56.52p; 135.05p → 135.07p. Both from one DESNZ series."},{"id":"water","label":"Water on published averages","keys":["water_1996","water_2025"],"headline":29.541363961277845,"effect":0.01187723688516229,"note":"£225 → £220.52 (all households, Commons written answer); £606 → £603 (Water UK forecast)."},{"id":"cinema","label":"Cinema ticket today","keys":["cinema_2025"],"headline":29.57596196170311,"effect":0.03459800042526595,"note":"£8.01 → £8.07 from the British Film Institute’s box office and admissions."},{"id":"food","label":"Food prices","keys":["food_ratio"],"headline":28.25551991169446,"effect":-1.3204420500086513,"note":"×2.447 (a 15-item basket) → ×2.156 (Family Food, 229 lines)."}]}},"inputs":[{"key":"gross_week_1996","label":"Median full-time gross weekly pay, 1996","value":301.1,"unit":"£ a week","period":"April 1996","geography":"Great Britain","source":"ONS earnings time series of median gross weekly earnings (NES), 1968 to 2025","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/earningstimeseriesofmediangrossweeklyearningsfrom1968to2022/current/19682025.xlsx","release":"23 Oct 2025","tier":"B","check":"Stored in the site and the pack from the same ONS series. ONS’s UK table gives £320.5 for 1997; the combined 1996 value was not reproduced independently.","note":"1996 is Great Britain; 2025 is the UK headline and the same value for Great Britain. ONS switches series from GB to UK in 1997."},{"key":"gross_week_2025","label":"Median full-time gross weekly pay, 2025 (provisional)","value":766.6,"unit":"£ a week","period":"April 2025","geography":"UK","source":"ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/annualsurveyofhoursandearnings/2025","release":"23 Oct 2025","tier":"A","check":"Confirmed in the ONS bulletin. Provisional: ONS publishes the 2026 edition and a revised 2025 figure on 22 Oct 2026."},{"key":"pa_1996","label":"Income tax personal allowance, 1996-97","value":3765,"unit":"£ a year","period":"1996-97","geography":"UK","source":"Finance Act 1996, section 72","sourceType":"legislation","url":"https://legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/8/section/72/2002-04-01?view=plain","release":"1996","tier":"A","check":"Rates and bands confirmed in the Finance Act."},{"key":"lower_band_1996","label":"Lower-rate band (20%), 1996-97","value":3900,"unit":"£ of taxable income","period":"1996-97","geography":"UK","source":"Finance Act 1996, section 72","sourceType":"legislation","url":"https://legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/8/section/72/2002-04-01?view=plain","release":"1996","tier":"A","check":"Confirmed."},{"key":"basic_rate_1996","label":"Basic rate, 1996-97","value":0.24,"unit":"rate","period":"1996-97","geography":"UK","source":"Finance Act 1996, section 72","sourceType":"legislation","url":"https://legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/8/section/72/2002-04-01?view=plain","release":"1996","tier":"A","check":"Confirmed (24% to £25,500)."},{"key":"ni_lel_1996","label":"Employee National Insurance lower earnings limit, 1996-97","value":61,"unit":"£ a week","period":"1996-97","geography":"UK","source":"House of Commons written answer, 28 Nov 1995 (Social Security)","sourceType":"parliamentary record","url":"https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1995/nov/28/national-insurance-contributions-review","release":"28 Nov 1995","tier":"A","check":"Lower limit £61, upper limit £455, 2% initial contribution, 10% to the upper limit. Contracted-out employees paid less."},{"key":"pa_2025","label":"Income tax personal allowance, 2025-26","value":12570,"unit":"£ a year","period":"2025-26","geography":"UK (rest of UK rates)","source":"GOV.UK rates and thresholds 2025 to 2026","sourceType":"official guidance","url":"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-and-thresholds-for-employers-2025-to-2026","release":"2025","tier":"A","check":"Basic rate 20% to £50,270; employee National Insurance 8% above the threshold."},{"key":"ni_2025","label":"Employee National Insurance main rate, 2025-26","value":0.08,"unit":"rate","period":"2025-26","geography":"UK","source":"GOV.UK rates and thresholds 2025 to 2026","sourceType":"official guidance","url":"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-and-thresholds-for-employers-2025-to-2026","release":"2025","tier":"A","check":"Confirmed."},{"key":"house_1996","label":"Average UK home price, 1996","value":53415.25,"unit":"£","period":"1996, mean of 12 months","geography":"UK","source":"UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry, ONS, Registers of Scotland, LPS)","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-house-price-index-for-december-2025/uk-house-price-index-summary-december-2025","release":"2026","tier":"A","check":"Reproduced from the monthly UK means. Other 1996 sources differ: a mortgaged-purchase series in the UK Housing Review gives about £70,600. The index series is mix-adjusted."},{"key":"house_2025","label":"Average UK home price, 2025","value":267281.25,"unit":"£","period":"2025, mean of 12 months","geography":"UK","source":"UK House Price Index","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-house-price-index-for-december-2025/uk-house-price-index-summary-december-2025","release":"2026","tier":"A","check":"Reproduced. The published December 2025 figure is £270,259 (revised); Nationwide’s 2025 mean is £271,488 (+1.6%)."},{"key":"rate_1996","label":"Mortgage rate, 1996","value":7.185,"unit":"% a year","period":"1996, mean of 12 months","geography":"UK","source":"Bank of England IUMTLMV (standard variable / revert-to rate)","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/boeapps/database/","release":"retrieved Oct 2026","tier":"A","check":"Bank of England’s 1996 mean is 7.19%."},{"key":"rate_2025_le75","label":"Quoted 2-year fixed rate, 75% loan-to-value, 2025","value":4.29,"unit":"% a year","period":"2025, mean of 12 months","geography":"UK","source":"Bank of England IUMBV34","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/boeapps/database/","release":"retrieved Oct 2026","tier":"B","check":"From the pack. The endpoints agree with the series (January 4.63%, December 3.97%); the full mean was not recomputed here."},{"key":"rate_2025_90","label":"Quoted 2-year fixed rate, 90% loan-to-value, 2025","value":4.7925,"unit":"% a year","period":"2025, mean of 12 months","geography":"UK","source":"Bank of England IUMB482","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/boeapps/database/fromshowcolumns.asp?CSVF=TT&DAT=RNG&FD=1&FM=Jan&FNY=Y&FY=2025&Filter=N&FromSeries=1&SeriesCodes=IUMB482&TD=6&TM=Oct&TY=2026&ToSeries=50&Travel=NIxAZxSUx&UsingCodes=Y&VPD=Y&html.x=66&html.y=26&title=IUMB482","release":"retrieved 20 Oct 2026","tier":"A","check":"Mean of the twelve published 2025 values (5.35, 5.26, 5.09, 4.96, 4.82, 4.80, 4.62, 4.55, 4.58, 4.57, 4.49, 4.42). The pack used 4.876%, which does not reproduce.","packValue":4.876},{"key":"lend_multiple","label":"Loan as a multiple of gross pay","value":4.5,"unit":"times pay","period":"central case","geography":"UK","source":"Model choice. The regulators’ definition of a high loan-to-income mortgage is 4.5 times income or more.","sourceType":"model assumption","url":"https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/prudential-regulation/publication/2026/october/high-loan-to-income-lending-policy-statement","release":"14 Oct 2026","tier":"D","check":"The firm-by-firm 15% cap ends on 28 Oct 2026; the 15% limit across all lenders stays. Lenders offer more than 4.5 times for some buyers. ONS’s average first-time-buyer loan-to-income ratio is 3.6 (2025, includes joint incomes). Shown as a range from 4.0 to 5.5."},{"key":"save_rate","label":"Share of take-home pay saved for the deposit","value":0.2,"unit":"share","period":"model assumption","geography":"UK","source":"Model assumption","sourceType":"model assumption","url":null,"release":null,"tier":"D","check":"Not a measured fact. Held the same in both years."},{"key":"rent_private_1996","label":"Private rent paid, 1996-97","value":71.59,"unit":"£ a week","period":"1996-97","geography":"UK","source":"Family Expenditure Survey 1996-97, private renters paying rent (UK Data Service SN 3783)","sourceType":"survey (aggregate)","url":null,"release":"1996-97","tier":"B","check":"Aggregate computed from the safeguarded survey file. Rent Officers’ market rents for England were £72.42 a week in 1996 (UK Housing Review, Table 72)."},{"key":"rent_private_2025","label":"Private rent, 2025","value":1344.67,"unit":"£ a month","period":"2025, mean of 12 months","geography":"UK","source":"ONS Price Index of Private Rents, average rent","sourceType":"official statistic in development","url":"https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/datasets/priceindexofprivaterentsukmonthlypricestatistics","release":"16 Sep 2026","tier":"B","check":"A UK mean that includes London (£2,252) and all property sizes. The English Housing Survey gives £250 a week for England in 2024-25 (£1,083 a month). A survey-to-survey estimate gives £1,314.","note":"A survey figure for 1996 is set against an index mean for 2025. They are different measures."},{"key":"energy_elec_1996","label":"Electricity bill, 1996 (3,800 kWh a year)","value":330.48,"unit":"£ a year","period":"1996","geography":"UK","source":"DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices, table 2.2.1","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/annual-domestic-energy-price-statistics","release":"30 Jul 2026","tier":"A","check":"Direct debit, 3,800 kWh."},{"key":"energy_gas_1996","label":"Gas bill, 1996 (15,000 kWh a year)","value":263,"unit":"£ a year","period":"1996","geography":"Great Britain","source":"DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices, table 2.3.1","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/annual-domestic-energy-price-statistics","release":"30 Jul 2026","tier":"A","check":"Direct debit, 15,000 kWh."},{"key":"energy_elec_2025_desnz","label":"Average electricity bill, 2025 (3,400 kWh)","value":1059.4,"unit":"£ a year","period":"2025","geography":"UK","source":"DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices, table 2.2.1","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/annual-domestic-energy-price-statistics","release":"30 Jul 2026","tier":"A","check":"Direct debit, all tariffs."},{"key":"energy_gas_2025_desnz","label":"Average gas bill, 2025 (11,200 kWh)","value":823.4,"unit":"£ a year","period":"2025","geography":"Great Britain","source":"DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices, table 2.3.1","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/annual-domestic-energy-price-statistics","release":"30 Jul 2026","tier":"A","check":"Direct debit, all tariffs."},{"key":"ofgem_elec_unit_2025","label":"Ofgem electricity unit rate, 2025 caps","value":[24.86,27.03,25.73,26.35],"unit":"p per kWh","period":"four 2025 cap periods","geography":"Great Britain","source":"Ofgem default tariff cap","sourceType":"regulator","url":"https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-price-cap","release":"26 Aug 2026","tier":"A","check":"With the standing charges these reproduce the four 2025 typical bills (£1,738, £1,849, £1,719, £1,755), which press and Which? also report."},{"key":"ofgem_elec_sc_2025","label":"Ofgem electricity standing charge, 2025 caps","value":[222.55,196.38,187.51,195.93],"unit":"£ a year","period":"four 2025 cap periods","geography":"Great Britain","source":"Ofgem default tariff cap","sourceType":"regulator","url":"https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-price-cap","release":"26 Aug 2026","tier":"A","check":"As above."},{"key":"ofgem_gas_unit_2025","label":"Ofgem gas unit rate, 2025 caps","value":[6.34,6.99,6.33,6.29],"unit":"p per kWh","period":"four 2025 cap periods","geography":"Great Britain","source":"Ofgem default tariff cap","sourceType":"regulator","url":"https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-price-cap","release":"26 Aug 2026","tier":"A","check":"As above."},{"key":"ofgem_gas_sc_2025","label":"Ofgem gas standing charge, 2025 caps","value":[115.52,119.23,108.86,124.21],"unit":"£ a year","period":"four 2025 cap periods","geography":"Great Britain","source":"Ofgem default tariff cap","sourceType":"regulator","url":"https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-price-cap","release":"26 Aug 2026","tier":"A","check":"As above."},{"key":"petrol_1996","label":"Unleaded petrol, 1996","value":56.521,"unit":"pence a litre","period":"1996, full-year mean of monthly prices","geography":"UK","source":"DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices, table 4.1.2 (premium unleaded)","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/oil-and-petroleum-products-monthly-statistics","release":"29 Sep 2026","tier":"A","check":"A mid-month sample, not a volume-weighted average. The pack used 55.44p, the January to September average in a Commons written answer of 6 Nov 1996; the same series.","packValue":55.44},{"key":"petrol_2025","label":"Unleaded petrol, 2025","value":135.072,"unit":"pence a litre","period":"2025, mean","geography":"UK","source":"DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices, table 4.1.2 (unleaded)","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/oil-and-petroleum-products-monthly-statistics","release":"29 Sep 2026","tier":"A","check":"The weekly series gives 135.05p.","packValue":135.05},{"key":"council_tax_1996","label":"Council Tax, average Band D, England, 1996-97","value":646,"unit":"£ a year","period":"1996-97","geography":"England","source":"MHCLG Council Tax levels, Band D","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-council-tax","release":"Apr 2026","tier":"A","check":"Matches the MHCLG table. Band D is a notional measure: the average per dwelling was £529 in 1996-97."},{"key":"council_tax_2025","label":"Council Tax, average Band D, England, 2025-26","value":2280,"unit":"£ a year","period":"2025-26","geography":"England","source":"MHCLG Council Tax levels, Band D","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-council-tax","release":"Apr 2026","tier":"A","check":"Matches the MHCLG table (£2,392 for 2026-27). The average per dwelling was £1,770."},{"key":"water_1996","label":"Water and sewerage bill, 1996-97","value":220.52,"unit":"£ a year","period":"1996-97","geography":"England and Wales","source":"House of Commons written answer, 8 Feb 2001 (water £102.15 plus sewerage £118.37)","sourceType":"parliamentary record","url":"https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/2001/feb/08/water-and-sewerage","release":"8 Feb 2001","tier":"B","check":"Average charge for all households. The answer does not name Ofwat as the source. The pack used £225 (Family Expenditure Survey, households that paid a water bill).","packValue":225},{"key":"water_2025","label":"Water and sewerage bill, 2025-26 (forecast)","value":603,"unit":"£ a year","period":"2025-26","geography":"England and Wales","source":"Water UK, forecast of average bills","sourceType":"industry body","url":"https://www.water.org.uk/annual-average-bill-changes-2025-2026","release":"Feb 2025","tier":"B","check":"A forecast, not an outturn. Press reports give £606 as a later figure; that could not be traced to a primary source.","packValue":606},{"key":"comms_1996","label":"Phones, TV licence and TV rental, 1996-97","value":8.6,"unit":"£ a week","period":"1996-97","geography":"UK","source":"Family Expenditure Survey 1996-97: phone accounts £5.43, TV licence £1.55, TV and cable rental £1.62","sourceType":"survey (aggregate)","url":null,"release":"1996-97","tier":"B","check":"The published FES says 16% of households had a mobile phone and spent £5.90 a week on it. BT residential line rental was £25.69 a quarter in June 1996 (trade press)."},{"key":"comms_2025","label":"Phones, TV, broadband and streaming, 2024-25","value":27.1,"unit":"£ a week","period":"April 2024 to March 2025","geography":"UK","source":"ONS Family Spending: phone accounts £9.20, broadband £2.70, bundles £8.70, TV, licence and streaming £6.50","sourceType":"survey (published table)","url":"https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/bulletins/familyspendingintheuk/april2024tomarch2025","release":"11 Jun 2026","tier":"B","check":"Includes broadband and streaming, which barely existed in 1996. Not like for like."},{"key":"repairs_1996","label":"Home repairs and insurance, 1996-97","value":6.91,"unit":"£ a week","period":"1996-97","geography":"UK","source":"Family Expenditure Survey 1996-97: maintenance, structure and contents insurance","sourceType":"survey (aggregate)","url":null,"release":"1996-97","tier":"B","check":"The pack first used a residual of £8.02; the named lines give £6.91.","packValue":8.02},{"key":"repairs_2025","label":"Home repairs and insurance, 2024-25","value":18.2,"unit":"£ a week","period":"April 2024 to March 2025","geography":"UK","source":"ONS Family Spending: repairs £11.90 plus insurance £6.30","sourceType":"survey (published table)","url":"https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/bulletins/familyspendingintheuk/april2024tomarch2025","release":"11 Jun 2026","tier":"B","check":"Published table lines."},{"key":"food_ratio","label":"Food prices, 1996 to 2025 (central)","value":2.156,"unit":"times","period":"1996 to 2024-25","geography":"UK","source":"DEFRA Family Food: expenditure divided by quantity across 229 food lines, 1996 quantity weights","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/family-food-datasets","release":"17 Sep 2026","tier":"C","check":"The pack used 2.447 from a 15-item basket that could not be traced to a published source. Range: matched ONS average prices ×1.96 (covers a third of spending); CPI food ×2.154; RPI food ×2.18. Unit values include changes in what people buy.","packValue":2.447},{"key":"cinema_1996","label":"Average cinema ticket, 1996","value":3.33,"unit":"£","period":"1996","geography":"UK","source":"UK Film Council yearbook 2002: box office £411m ÷ 123.5m admissions (Cinema Advertising Association, Nielsen EDI)","sourceType":"industry data","url":null,"release":"2002","tier":"B","check":"A BFI Handbook figure quoted in a DCMS document gives £426m, or £3.44 a ticket. The sources differ and neither is the latest."},{"key":"cinema_2025","label":"Average cinema ticket, 2025","value":8.07,"unit":"£","period":"2025","geography":"UK","source":"British Film Institute: £996.8m box office ÷ 123.5m admissions","sourceType":"official industry statistics","url":"https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/official-bfi-statistics-2025","release":"5 Feb 2026","tier":"B","check":"The pack used £8.01 (£989.5m). The BFI figure is the better-sourced one.","packValue":8.01},{"key":"pint_1996","label":"Pint of draught lager, 1996","value":1.73,"unit":"£","period":"1996 annual average","geography":"UK","source":"ONS average price CZMS","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/timeseries/czms/mm23","release":"Sep 2026","tier":"A","check":"ONS stopped the series after January 2025."},{"key":"pint_2025","label":"Pint of draught lager, January 2025","value":4.83,"unit":"£","period":"January 2025 (last published)","geography":"UK","source":"ONS average price CZMS","sourceType":"official statistic","url":"https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/timeseries/czms/mm23","release":"Sep 2026","tier":"A","check":"A trade survey gives £5.15 for 2025."}],"register":[{"id":"pay","item":"Median full-time pay","packValue":"£301.10 → £766.60 a week","siteValue":"£301.10 → £766.60 a week","verdict":"corroborated","sources":"ONS ASHE 2025 (provisional, 23 Oct 2025). The 2026 edition and a revised 2025 figure are due on 22 Oct 2026.","tier":"A"},{"id":"take-home","item":"Take-home pay","packValue":"£11,647 → £32,221","siteValue":"£11,647 → £32,221","verdict":"corroborated","sources":"Recomputed from the Finance Act 1996 and 2025-26 rules. Adding a 5% pension to both years changes the ratio only slightly.","tier":"A"},{"id":"home-price","item":"Average home price","packValue":"£53,415 → £267,281","siteValue":"£53,415 → £267,281","verdict":"corroborated","sources":"UK House Price Index monthly means. Nationwide's 2025 mean is £271,488. A mortgaged-purchase series gives about £70,600 for 1996 (not verified).","tier":"A"},{"id":"mortgage-1996","item":"1996 mortgage rate and payment","packValue":"7.185%; £319 and £342 a month","siteValue":"7.185%; £319 after tax relief, £346 before","verdict":"corroborated","sources":"Bank of England IUMTLMV gives 7.19% for 1996. The two payments are the same mortgage before and after tax relief.","tier":"A"},{"id":"mortgage-2025","item":"Mortgage rate today","packValue":"4.29% (75% loan) and 4.876% (90% loan)","siteValue":"4.29% (75% loan) and 4.79% (90% loan)","verdict":"corrected","sources":"The twelve 2025 values of Bank of England IUMB482 average 4.79%. September 2026 is 5.37%.","tier":"A"},{"id":"lending","item":"Borrowing limit of 4.5 times pay","packValue":"4.5 times","siteValue":"4.5 times, shown as a range from 4.0 to 5.5","verdict":"model choice","sources":"The rule is a limit on a share of each lender's loans, not a cap on each borrower. ONS puts first-time buyers' average loan-to-income at 3.6. Some lenders offer more than 4.5.","tier":"D"},{"id":"rent-2025","item":"Private rent today","packValue":"£1,345 a month","siteValue":"£1,345 a month, with £1,314 and £1,083 as alternatives","verdict":"partly","sources":"ONS Price Index of Private Rents UK mean (includes London). The English Housing Survey gives £250 a week for England.","tier":"B"},{"id":"rent-1996","item":"Private rent in 1996","packValue":"£71.59 a week","siteValue":"£71.59 a week","verdict":"partly","sources":"Family Expenditure Survey aggregate. Rent Officers' market rents were £72.42 a week in England.","tier":"B"},{"id":"energy","item":"Gas and electricity","packValue":"£593 → £2,225 at the same use","siteValue":"£593 → £2,225 at the same use","verdict":"corroborated","sources":"DESNZ 1996 bills and Ofgem 2025 rates. The Ofgem inputs reproduce the four 2025 typical bills. This is the price of the same energy, not what homes now use.","tier":"A"},{"id":"council-tax","item":"Council Tax","packValue":"£646 → £2,280 (Band D)","siteValue":"£646 → £2,280 (Band D)","verdict":"corroborated","sources":"MHCLG tables match exactly. The average per dwelling is lower (£529 → £1,770).","tier":"A"},{"id":"water","item":"Water and sewerage","packValue":"£225 → £606","siteValue":"£220.52 → £603","verdict":"corrected","sources":"A Commons written answer gives £220.52 for 1996-97 (England and Wales, all households). Water UK forecast £603 for 2025-26. £606 could not be traced to a primary source.","tier":"B"},{"id":"petrol","item":"Petrol","packValue":"55.44p → 135.05p","siteValue":"56.52p → 135.07p","verdict":"corrected","sources":"DESNZ table 4.1.2 full-year means. The pack's 55.44p is the January to September 1996 average of the same series.","tier":"A"},{"id":"phones","item":"Phones, TV and internet","packValue":"£8.60 → £27.10 a week","siteValue":"£8.60 → £27.10 a week","verdict":"partly","sources":"Survey aggregates. Includes broadband and streaming today, which barely existed in 1996, so it is not like for like.","tier":"B"},{"id":"food","item":"Food prices","packValue":"×2.447 (15-item basket)","siteValue":"×2.16, range ×1.96 to ×2.18","verdict":"corrected","sources":"DEFRA Family Food unit values ×2.16. ONS matched average prices ×1.96. CPI food ×2.15, RPI food ×2.18. The 15-item basket could not be traced to a published source.","tier":"C"},{"id":"goods","item":"Household goods, clothes, health and other","packValue":"ONS CPI indices","siteValue":"CPI as the central case, RPI as the other end","verdict":"range","sources":"CPI clothing is ×0.61 and RPI clothing ×2.57. The two indices disagree in direction, so these lines are shown as a range.","tier":"C"},{"id":"cinema","item":"Cinema ticket","packValue":"£3.33 → £8.01","siteValue":"£3.33 → £8.07","verdict":"corrected","sources":"1996: £411m ÷ 123.5m admissions (UK Film Council yearbook); a BFI-based figure gives £3.44. 2025: BFI £996.8m ÷ 123.5m admissions.","tier":"B"},{"id":"spending","item":"Spending weights","packValue":"£314 a week in 1996-97","siteValue":"£313.65 a week in 1996-97","verdict":"partly","sources":"The published report gives £309 for 1996-97. The weights match the published groups within 0.2% to 5%; alcohol is the one wider gap.","tier":"B"},{"id":"owners","item":"All households including outright owners","packValue":"about −2%","siteValue":"not shown","verdict":"not verified","sources":"No workings have been published. The page shows what the model can calculate: everything except the home.","tier":"D"}],"tiers":{"A":"A direct price or rule from a primary source, with a second source that agrees.","B":"A direct source, but only one, or the sources differ a little or are not like for like.","C":"An index or a built figure. Shown as a range.","D":"A model choice, not a measured fact. Shown as a range."}}