Hunter Foote  |  Contributing Writer

Time has changed how much you pay for everything in life, but has it changed the value? After looking closer, there are some items that have significantly increased in cost regardless of inflation rates (such as college tuition), and some, like gasoline, have stayed the same in relation to inflation.

College

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average annual tuition for private nonprofit institutions in the 2011-2012 academic year was $37,800. In contrast, the 1981-1982 academic year’s annual tuition adjusted for inflation was about $6,330.

Gas

Although an initial look would seem to indicate that gas was much cheaper in the early 1900s, priced as low as 17 cents in 1931, when inflation is accounted for, today’s price isn’t as bad as it would seem.

According to Energy Trends Insider: “When taking inflation into account, average annual gas prices (in 2012 U.S. dollars) were $3.35/gallon in 1919, $3.20/gallon in 1934, $3.44 in 1980, $2.49/gallon in 2009, $2.90/gallon in 2010 and $3.57/gallon in 2011. So it’s not like we’ve never seen this level of prices before.”

Coca-Cola

Interestingly, NPR reports that Coca-Cola was 5 cents for many years, regardless of the inflation rate. From its inception to 1959, a Coke was a nickel until the company couldn’t fight inflation anymore. Now, a 24-pack costs $12.99.