All of these are true, but they only cover about $100/sqft (see my sibling message.) Production efficiency and technology have also improved for a lot of stuff,

All of these are true, but they only cover about $100/sqft (see my sibling message.) Production efficiency and technology have also improved for a lot of stuff, bringing prices down at the same time that they were going up. When people complain about the cost of housing, they're usually not talking about the first $100/sqft, but about the other $100-$1400.