Cost of Living Increases - Decade by Decade...

The Cost of Living (as measured by the government's Consumer Price Index, CPI) in the USA increased +25% in the decade of the 1950s, +28% in the 1960s, +103% in the 1970s, +64% in the 1980s, +33% in the 1990s and +28% in the 2000s.  

Source: Department of Labor