A Resurfaced Magazine Ad From 1996 Makes On Point Predictions About 2026

A Reddit user by the handle Stormageddon shared a magazine ad from the late ‘90s that predicted the world’s economic status in 2026. “An eerily accurate ad from 1996 I found in an advertising book,” the caption read.

On the page was the face of a female celebrity and some text overlaying the photo which reads, “They say in 30 years, a burger and fries could cost $16, a basic vacation $12500 and a car $65000.” At the end of the ad was another statement that reads, “No problem, You’ll eat in, you won’t drive and you won’t go anywhere.”

Magazine ad from the ’90s predictions seem to match recent trends

Like the ‘90s ad predicted, affording basic things and wants like a vacation or a new car costs the average person thousands of dollars. Eating out has become a luxury, with most people opting to cook at home instead and save already-made food in bulk. Many also have to work twice as hard to keep rent paid, buy cars, and even fuel them.

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Though people can now work to save the cost of traveling to work, those who have to rely on public transportation find it difficult to commute every day with ease. Unlike in past times, getting a house or land is more difficult for young people, and the rate of homelessness in the U.S. keeps rising. Retirement benefits have also become unreliable, leaving people to personally cater for their future.

In response to the resurfaced ad, Reddit users agreed that recent realities match up to the foresight while backing up their claims with personal experiences. “The point is, you can cut travel, dining out and all the extras, but housing alone will still blow your budget in most cities in America,” someone said.

Another joked about being early to the party, as the magazine made these predictions ahead of 2026. “Jokes on them, we’re 3 years ahead of schedule,” they quipped. “They probably thought it was too unbelievable to write that a basic house would cost you $500K,” a third user added, with another responding with “Yeah, except it’s 300 a week in groceries for a family of 5 so you can’t even eat in.”