Adjusted for inflation, lego set prices have been consistent over the years:
> https://bricknerd.com/home/greed-or-inflation-an-economic-an...
Inflation-adjusted price per piece has actually been declining over the years, dropping from ~$0.25 to a current $0.10 on average. This set is $0.06 per piece, so even less expensive than a median set by that metric.
but the people buying has not had their purchasing power keep up, demographic have shifted entirely over the years