Shoes vs clothing prices
Two official price indexes on one scale. Both start at 100 in 1970, so the gap between the lines is the difference in price growth.
Total change 1970–2025
+157% vs +122%
All footwear vs clothing (apparel).
Years all footwear rose faster
33 of 55
Longest run: 6 years in a row, ending 1981. Widest one-year gap: 2005 (3.6 points).
Relative price since 1970
+15.0%
All footwear relative to clothing (apparel), September 2026 vs the 1970 average.
Shoes vs clothing prices, 1970 = 100
- All footwear
- Clothing (apparel)
Change over different windows
- 1970–2025+156.8% vs +121.9%All footwear: 1.7% a year · Clothing (apparel): 1.5% a year
- 2000–2025+17.7% vs +1.3%All footwear: 0.7% a year · Clothing (apparel): 0.1% a year
- 2015–2025+6.5% vs +4.3%All footwear: 0.6% a year · Clothing (apparel): 0.4% a year
- 2020–2025+9.4% vs +11.2%All footwear: 1.8% a year · Clothing (apparel): 2.1% a year
- Last 12 months+3.4% vs +3.4%September 2026 vs a year earlier
Reading the gap
A $100 purchase of all footwear in 1970 equals $272.26 at September 2026 prices; the same $100 spent on clothing (apparel) equals $236.66. All footwear have become 15% dearer relative to clothing (apparel). Both are index numbers, so the comparison is about change since 1970, 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.