In lieu of material possessions, many families prefer to give their children experiences as gifts rather than more things. Whether it’s a summer vacation, membership to a museum or attraction, or a fun camp, these special events can create wonderful memories that last a lifetime. Unfortunately, these experiences are increasingly jumping beyond the budgets of the average American family.

Recently, The Hustle, a trusted newsletter in the business and tech industry, analyzed the costs of three popular family outings to see just how expensive it is to attend a baseball game, watch a movie, and visit Disneyland. The results, even including inflation, were quite incredible compared to costs 60 years ago in 1960.

“Decades ago, some of these family outings were within grasp,” wrote Zachary Crockett, “but today, a family with two minimum wage earners would have to work 173%-299% more hours to take their family out than two similar workers in 1960. For them, a one-day trip to Disneyland would require nearly two weeks of pay.”

Of course, the average family isn’t hit as hard as a minimum wage worker, but The Hustle still calculated that costs have increased 2-3 times the rate of inflation, and to afford them, all three events required extra hours of work, even with today’s median family earning sitting at $84,000 a year or $40.38/hour.

“When it comes to traditional family outings, the purchasing power of that income has declined,” Crockett wrote. “The reality is that today’s $40/hour median family income doesn’t leave as much wiggle room for American pastimes as it used to.”

Let’s take a closer look at each of these three activities for a family of two parents and two children.

BASEBALL GAME

1960

Ticket Cost: $1.91

Hot Dog Cost: $0.35

Parking Cost: $0.25

Total Cost (4 tickets, 4 drinks, 4 hot dogs, and parking): $10.35

1960 costs with inflation

Ticket Cost: $18.86

Hot Dog Cost: $3.46

Parking Cost: $2.47

Total Cost: $102.23

2022

Ticket Cost: $35.93

Hot Dog Cost: $5.13

Parking Cost: $16.79

Total Cost: $204.76

1960 Hours of Work to Pay for a Baseball Game: 3.8

2022 Hours of Work to Pay for a Baseball Game: 5.1 (+32%)

Comment: “Where fans are really getting taken for a ride is in the parking lot,” noted Crockett. “At $16.79, the average cost to park a vehicle at a baseball game today is 6,616% more than it was in 1960 — 7.5x the rate of inflation!”

MOVIES

1960

Ticket Cost: $0.70

Popcorn Cost: $0.20

Total Cost (4 tickets, 2 sodas, 2 popcorns, 1 box of candy): $3.76

1960 costs with inflation

Ticket Cost: $6.l7

Popcorn Cost: $1.97

Total Cost: $34.15

2022

Ticket Cost: $9.l7

Popcorn Cost: $7.89

Total Cost: $68.73

1960 Hours of Work to Pay for the Movies: 1.4

2022 Hours of Work to Pay for the Movies: 1.7 (+22%)

Comment: “Similar to ballgames, the ticket price itself is the least egregiously priced item on the list,” Crockett said. “It’s the concessions stand where the theaters really get you. The markup on a tub of popcorn, which costs less than $1 to make, is about 800%.”

DISNEYLAND

1960

Adult Ticket Cost: $5.55

Hotel Room: $18

Total Cost (2 tickets, 2 child tickets, 1-night stay, parking): $36.45

1960 costs with inflation

Ticket Cost: $54.81

Hotel Room: $177.75

Total Cost: $359.96

2022

Ticket Cost: $149

Hotel Room: $445

Total Cost: $1,055

1960 Hours of Work to Pay for Disneyland: 13.5

2022 Hours of Work to Pay for Disneyland: 26.1 (+96%)

Comment: “If Walt [Disney] were alive today, he would probably be uncomfortable with the prices they’re charging right now,” Scott Smith, an assistant professor of hospitality at the University of South Carolina, told the Washington Post in 2015. “They’ve priced middle-class families out.”