Men’s vs women’s shoe prices
Two official price indexes on one scale. Both start at 100 in 1978, so the gap between the lines is the difference in price growth.
Total change 1978–2025
+97% vs +63%
Men’s shoes vs women’s shoes.
Years men’s shoes rose faster
28 of 47
Longest run: 10 years in a row, ending 1988. Widest one-year gap: 1986 (4.3 points).
Relative price since 1978
+21.4%
Men’s shoes relative to women’s shoes, September 2026 vs the 1978 average.
Men’s vs women’s shoe prices, 1978 = 100
- Men’s shoes
- Women’s shoes
Change over different windows
- 1978–2025+97.3% vs +62.6%Men’s shoes: 1.5% a year · Women’s shoes: 1% a year
- 2000–2025+16.9% vs +11.1%Men’s shoes: 0.6% a year · Women’s shoes: 0.4% a year
- 2015–2025+9.7% vs +3.1%Men’s shoes: 0.9% a year · Women’s shoes: 0.3% a year
- 2020–2025+9.9% vs +10.3%Men’s shoes: 1.9% a year · Women’s shoes: 2% a year
- Last 12 months+4.5% vs +3.9%September 2026 vs a year earlier
Reading the gap
A $100 purchase of men’s shoes in 1978 equals $210.98 at September 2026 prices; the same $100 spent on women’s shoes equals $173.82. Men’s shoes have become 21% dearer relative to women’s shoes. Both are index numbers, so the comparison is about change since 1978, not about which costs more today.
Look up a single year on the year-by-year pages, or convert an old price with the calculator.