What Stuff Costs

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You probably spend more on beer, cable, pets, day care, and health insurance than you think. And you wouldn’t believe what some couples will spend on their wedding day.

Here, a semi-random roundup of what some stuff costs:

$9-$12 The cost range of a mid-priced bottle of wine—which, in the value-conscious post-recession era, is the fastest-growing segment of the industry.

Over $100 The average woman’s most recent impulse purchase—and 35% of women say they regret at least one impulse purchase made in the past year.

$129.75 The average monthly cable TV bill for Comcast customers, up from $107.20 in 2008. No wonder some 800,000 cable customers have cut the cord over the past two years.

$263 Estimated amount the typical cell phone user overpays annually because of signing up for the wrong wireless plan.

$417 What a sample group of consumers said an iPad is actually worth. That’s $200 or so less than what Apple charges. No wonder many consumers feel the iPad is basically a toy and a time suck, just isn’t worth the money.

$650 The bill you’ll receive if you lose your three-foot snake on a Boston subway.

$1,600 The expected first-year costs for owning a medium-size dog, per an ASPCA estimator.

$1,738 Annual cost of the average commute in Chicago, the city with the most costly commutes in the country.

$1,880 Amount the average pack-a-day smoker spends on cigarettes in a year, according to one estimate.

$2,000 Amount of unexpected expenditures that the typical American consumer encounters annually.

$3,000 Approximate amount you’ll pay to buy and use an iPhone over the mandatory two-year contract period.

$4,000 Cost for a man to attend certain mail-order bride “socials” in Eastern Europe.

$6,751 The 2009 per capita state and local taxes paid in New Jersey, which has the nation’s highest tax rate at 12.2% of per capita income.

$13,770 Cost of the average family’s health insurance premiums in 2010. (That is, if they have health insurance.)

$18,773 Average annual price of full-time infant care in Massachusetts, the state with the highest daycare costs, according to the Boston Globe. That amount would eat up 18% of the average two-parent family’s income, and 67% of the average single mom’s earnings.

$20,435 Average cost of tuition, room and board for a college student in 2008—which, after factoring in inflation, is more than double the amount charged in 1980.

$84,388 Amount the average American will spend on auto insurance over his lifetime.

$128,530 The average cash bonus given to a Wall Street worker in the financial services in 2010. That’s actually down 8% from an average of over $140K the year before.

$132,683 What a typical $100-a-month cable bill really winds up costing you over a 25-year span.

$396,000 The record amount paid at a Tokyo fish market auction for a 752-pound bluefin tuna last month.

$584,000 Median home price in San Francisco, one of the least affordable cities in the U.S.

$48 million Projected cost of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s upcoming nuptials.

$20.5 billion Total amount of credit card penalty fees charged to American customers in 2009.

$47.7 billion Estimated amount spent in the U.S. pet industry in 2010, up from $45.5 billion the year before.

$101 billion Approximate annual sales of beer in the U.S..