$12.26 (USD)
Anything fun costs at least $12.00
in 2022-2023
Don’t you know the first law of physics? Anything that’s fun costs at least eight dollars. What does the minimum price of ‘fun’ have to do with physics? Nothing, but it is a neat quote from one of my favorite shows, South Park, that has resonated with fans of the series. This line is part of one of Matt & Trey’s best, award-winning, and most controversial episodes “Trapped in the closet”.
Season 09 Episode 12
This got me thinking… with inflation being what it is in 2022, what is the cost of fun today? This episode of South Park aired on November 16, 2005. Using the inflation calculator from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, I plotted this data on a graph using Google Charts.
Updated June 12, 2022!
+9% for 2022-2023. Yikes.
| Date | Cost of fun (USD) | % +/- |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | $8.00 | — |
| 2006 | $8.16 | +2% |
| 2007 | $8.51 | +4% |
| 2008 | $8.60 | +1% |
| 2009 | $8.76 | +2% |
| 2010 | $8.86 | +1% |
| 2011 | $9.16 | +3% |
| 2012 | $9.32 | +2% |
| 2013 | $9.44 | +1% |
| 2014 | $9.56 | +1% |
| 2015 | $9.61 | +1% |
| 2016 | $9.77 | +2% |
| 2017 | $9.99 | +2% |
| 2018 | $10.2 | +2% |
| 2019 | $10.41 | +2% |
| 2020 | $10.54 | +1% |
| 2021 | $11.25 | +7% |
| 2022 | $12.26 | +9% |
