(MONEY Magazine) – In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock filmed the horror classic Psycho for about $1 million. This summer, Warner Bros. released The Perfect Storm, a movie that cost a reported $140 million. Is the staggering difference a result of inflation or the spiraling cost of creating a summer blockbuster?

Actually, it's a bit of both. The consumer price index, which measures the cost of living, has risen 479% over the past 40 years. That means $1 million today is the equivalent of $173,000 in 1960. (Another way to look at it: What $1 million purchased 40 years ago would cost $5.8 million today.) "Millionaires, like any person on the street, face rising prices," says Pat Jackman, an economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Put another way: Rich or poor, it's tough to get ahead.

--N.P.