I think wages are a great way to look at it too, rather than just comparing prices.

Said another way, I think making 100k in 1995 would make one feel way, way richer than making 200k today.

How you feel is also very geographically dependent, and quality of life dependent.

The government published nationwide inflation measures are completely irrelevant to anyone who had a goal of buying land in a tier 1 metro, or in the higher end suburbs of tier 2 metros. And you will feel very different based on if you have kids or not.

Land, healthcare, and education pretty much eclipse everything else.