Here are five things you’ll likely spend the most on over your lifetime (in no particular order):
- Cars – National average new car price: $48,000
- Weddings – National average cost: $33,000
- Homes – National median home price: $415,000 in 2025 (up 4.5% from 2024)
- Education – Estimated lifetime cost: $40,000 – $175,000
- Funerals – Median cost: $9,300 for a traditional burial (varies by location)
We’re all well aware of how inflation has dented buying power since the COVID pandemic. Housing and rent costs continued to climb last year, and this year healthcare costs appear to be rising faster than broader inflation trends.
But there is one bright spot: college tuition.
After years of runaway inflation, college tuition only increased 3.5% in 2025. Looking ahead, tuition inflation is projected to increase a modest 2.28% for the 2026–2027 academic year. At public schools, tuition inflation is nearing pre-pandemic levels, while private college tuition has essentially flat-lined over the past few years. In many cases, tuition inflation is almost back to where it was in 2022.
At barely more than 2% per year, community college tuition stands out as the clear winner.
The good news doesn’t stop with families paying tuition in the coming years. On Friday, January 16, 2026, the Department of Education announced a delay in collecting past-due student loan balances. This pause is expected to give policymakers time to implement more reasonable repayment reforms and help borrowers avoid wage garnishments.
With so much domestic and international geopolitical noise this month, this news may have gone largely unnoticed. If you still have five years or more before paying tuition for a child or grandchild, now is a great time to revisit your education funding projections. Give one of our advisers a call – we’d be happy to help you plan with clearer numbers and more confidence.
