No. We know this because the cost of prostitutes is not constant throughout the world today. Eliot Spitzer reportedly paid up to $5,000 a night to enjoy the company of a high class call girl. On the low end, 20,000 or 30,000 COP ($4.5 to $7 usd) can purchase 15 to 30 minutes of sex in a Colombian brothel.
So there are a lot of factors here. In an affluent society, sex workers are going to command a higher wage than one where economic opportunities are more limited.
I wouldn’t be surprised if that industry insists on remaining on the gold/silver standard and base prices on that, but my knowledge is mostly from entertainment media.
In Amsterdam, the price has been $50 for a half hour for the last 20 years. Cost hasnt gone up. Supply has increased. Current product quality is superior to previous supply
Impossible to quantify. There have always been different levels of prostitute. A BJ from an addict in a dark alley is not the cost of a BJ from a high-end escort in a luxury hotel.
I have a friend who worked the street for 12 years circa 1990, and for 2 years after that, she was a “manager” for other street workers. From what she told me there’s 2 major pricing schemes in the sex work world.
First, whatever the pimp feels like that day. The pimp will choose the price basically at random. Then he’ll disseminate the price via the managers.
Second, whatever the local Joes will pay. The pimp will choose a price that sounds good. And once in a while he’ll increase it to see how many people stop showing up.
Keep in mind that a lot of these women aren’t really being paid. They live in housing provided by their pimp, who takes all the money. They might get a cut as pocket money to keep them happy. But guaranteed the majority usually goes to the pimp
Edit to answer: so overall, yes, the price does go up with inflation. But not by any intelligent metric. It’s just to keep the money flowing to keep the operation going
Another Edit to add: Scale also plays a big part in the answer. She was usually working for low-level pimps with maybe 10 women working for him. But there are definitely way larger operations that function far more professionally
Based on supply and demand. In cities where supply was high, the service level had to go up to justify the price. In the large cities of Imperial China, you had a cost spectrum that ranged from cheap opium whores to tea house concubines that would not welcome anyone below a high level magistrate.
Ok in 1996 it was 185 dollars, not sure today guess between 600-750 and you could, and well in the beginning it was expensive at brothels they will charge a mortgage payment to have a lady for a session. And that is a steep mortgage too.
My guess is that it depends on who you are talking about.
Someone who does it as a profession is probably extremely different in price than someone who has hit rock bottom and needs some cash before withdrawal symptoms start.
Prostitution price increase would absolutely fall under the Baumol Effect, or Baumol’s Cost Disease. It explains how wages rise in jobs with low productivity growth because they must compete with wages in high-productivity sectors. Prostitution, being a service that requires personal time and can’t be easily automated or scaled, sees little productivity gain over time. However, sex workers still need to earn wages comparable to other jobs that have become more productive. To match rising opportunity costs, prices for their services must increase. Thus, over time, the cost of prostitution tends to rise even if the service itself hasn’t changed.
Probably not. It will be impacted by policy and scarcity. Different situations will impact supply and demand. Is it legal, is it risky, do women have other better options etc.
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Calling all time-traveling Reddit-pimps
The “cost” probably covers an enormous range, including barter
Would make for a very interesting graduate-level history/economics paper, honestly.
This belongs in shower thoughts I think
I’m pretty sure that it has kept up with inflation. The prices today would never have been possible on a worker’s salary 50 years ago.
Calling it prostitution is pretty dated in itself. We have sex workers now onlyfan people and the sky’s the limit for both
Dickflation.
No. We know this because the cost of prostitutes is not constant throughout the world today. Eliot Spitzer reportedly paid up to $5,000 a night to enjoy the company of a high class call girl. On the low end, 20,000 or 30,000 COP ($4.5 to $7 usd) can purchase 15 to 30 minutes of sex in a Colombian brothel.
So there are a lot of factors here. In an affluent society, sex workers are going to command a higher wage than one where economic opportunities are more limited.
If pimps were good with money, they probably wouldn’t be pimps.
Funny how the lack of profit motivation by corporate overlords works…
The cost of cannabis hasn’t changed much in the last 40 years. 3.5 grams is still around $40
Easily answered: It’s the same hourly as a decent lawyer. Have legal fees remained constant?
I wouldn’t be surprised if that industry insists on remaining on the gold/silver standard and base prices on that, but my knowledge is mostly from entertainment media.
It really depends. Addicts will go for as little as $20 but professionals can charge as much as thousands. Also, very specific on geographic location.
In Amsterdam, the price has been $50 for a half hour for the last 20 years. Cost hasnt gone up. Supply has increased. Current product quality is superior to previous supply
Price has gone down.
Impossible to quantify. There have always been different levels of prostitute. A BJ from an addict in a dark alley is not the cost of a BJ from a high-end escort in a luxury hotel.
The price goes up the more teeth they have.
Hookers are still $1 to $XXXXXX. This is indexed to attractiveness and desperation rather than inflation.
I have a friend who worked the street for 12 years circa 1990, and for 2 years after that, she was a “manager” for other street workers. From what she told me there’s 2 major pricing schemes in the sex work world.
First, whatever the pimp feels like that day. The pimp will choose the price basically at random. Then he’ll disseminate the price via the managers.
Second, whatever the local Joes will pay. The pimp will choose a price that sounds good. And once in a while he’ll increase it to see how many people stop showing up.
Keep in mind that a lot of these women aren’t really being paid. They live in housing provided by their pimp, who takes all the money. They might get a cut as pocket money to keep them happy. But guaranteed the majority usually goes to the pimp
Edit to answer: so overall, yes, the price does go up with inflation. But not by any intelligent metric. It’s just to keep the money flowing to keep the operation going
Another Edit to add: Scale also plays a big part in the answer. She was usually working for low-level pimps with maybe 10 women working for him. But there are definitely way larger operations that function far more professionally
In a legal state like NV? Or an illegal state like the rest of them?
I read that a quicky in roman society year 100 could be as cheap as about 5 dollar.
There way a lot demand but also a lot of offers.
Yes, because there are no tariffs on sex work.
Based on supply and demand. In cities where supply was high, the service level had to go up to justify the price. In the large cities of Imperial China, you had a cost spectrum that ranged from cheap opium whores to tea house concubines that would not welcome anyone below a high level magistrate.
Ok in 1996 it was 185 dollars, not sure today guess between 600-750 and you could, and well in the beginning it was expensive at brothels they will charge a mortgage payment to have a lady for a session. And that is a steep mortgage too.
My guess is that it depends on who you are talking about.
Someone who does it as a profession is probably extremely different in price than someone who has hit rock bottom and needs some cash before withdrawal symptoms start.
Yes, they absolutely have. The price has practically doubled it feels like, with the last year seeing the largest rise is rates.
It’s best to find one that uses a bonus card for volume discounts.
Yes, consistent since Roman times.
Prostitution price increase would absolutely fall under the Baumol Effect, or Baumol’s Cost Disease. It explains how wages rise in jobs with low productivity growth because they must compete with wages in high-productivity sectors. Prostitution, being a service that requires personal time and can’t be easily automated or scaled, sees little productivity gain over time. However, sex workers still need to earn wages comparable to other jobs that have become more productive. To match rising opportunity costs, prices for their services must increase. Thus, over time, the cost of prostitution tends to rise even if the service itself hasn’t changed.
depends on where. some places gone up, some down
No. Not over the last 50 years or so, anyway. Just sayin’. I, uh, I read about it in a book. Yeah, that’s it. I read about it in a book.
Probably not. It will be impacted by policy and scarcity. Different situations will impact supply and demand. Is it legal, is it risky, do women have other better options etc.
It has in my town. I know because I’m a public defender, not a John. Cocaine has largely stayed steady in the face of inflation too