How Much Would Kevin's 1990 'Home Alone' Groceries Cost Now?

While many people are enjoying rewatching the 1990 Christmas classic "Home Alone," there's probably some thought about how different things would be if the movie was set in 2023.

One thought many have had is just how much Kevin McCallister's mini-grocery haul would cost in present day. Some TikTokers wanted to help clear that mystery up by exploring just how much the same groceries Kevin purchased in 1990 cost now.

A few TikTok creators took a deep dive into just what it would cost to buy the same exact, or similar, groceries that Kevin bought in the hit movie "Home Alone" in 2023.

In the movie, Kevin filled his grocery cart with a half a gallon of milk, toilet paper, Saran wrap, TV dinner, frozen macaroni and cheese, Tide laundry detergent, Snuggle dryer sheets, Wonder bread, half a gallon of orange juice, and bag of army soldiers. With his $1 off coupon, Kevin's total came to $19.83.

TikTok creator Geoffrey Lyons shared a video that has since gone viral with more than 5.5 million views that shows what a similar grocery haul would look like today. He broke down the cost of each item before announcing his total came to $63.73 which is a 248% increase!

One viewer wrote in the comments what many would probably agree with, "$100 bill is the new $20 bill."

Another viewer hilariously added, "So what you’re telling me is that my kids couldn’t survive if I accidentally left them home alone to go on a trip to Paris."

While the TikTok creator accounted for the $1 off coupon Kevin had, one viewer noted, "Plus it wouldn't be a $1 off coupon now, it would be 50¢ off. ?"

Another viral TikTok also explored the price of Kevin's groceries to today's prices.

"Kevin's trip to the grocery store in the 1990 movie cost him $19.83. What does that exact shopping list cost today?" the video starts off. "Let's find out!"

The TikToker who goes by Mistress Melt then went through Kevin's shopping list and bought the same or comparable products to see what the cost would be today. Her total came to $49.40.

Mistress Melt's video received more than 7.8 million views and thousands of comments.

"According to an online inflation calculator, 19.83 in 1990 is 47.79 in 2023, so pretty on par with inflation surprisingly," one person wrote in the comments. Another added, "I knew that the Tide alone was gonna cost half the total."

One person reminded the TikTok creator, "Hey, he did have a coupon," to which she replied, "For the orange juice! I had $2.50 in digital coupons.?"

In addition to wondering what Kevin's grocery trip would cost today, many have also wondered just how rich the family was in the film. With a beautiful, fully decorated and lit mansion and first-class tickets to Paris for the entire family, it seems like a fair question.

Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago recently answered the question on everyone's mind about the McCallister family's income. They determined that the family is in the one percent of Chicago residents based on the value of their home, according to The New York Times.

"In 1990, the house was affordable only for the top 1 percent of Chicago household incomes, and that would still be the case today, according to economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago," as per The New York Times. "The home would have been affordable to a household with an income of $305,000 in 1990 (about 665,000 in 2022)."

This means that Kevin's parents, Peter and Kate, were making at least $305,000 a year, which translates into more like $600,000 now! The house, located on the North Shore of Chicago, was estimated to be worth around $2.4 million in 2022 by Zillow.