Hot water, health care, access to education are all terrific choices, and would be my top three.
As for something people have, and give no thought to the luxury it is, I would say a washer and dryer at home.
It been a long time for me, but I remember what a pain in the arse it was to haul laundry around - yuck!
A pet.
I have a dog that lives in my house. I have (many) neighbors who have their dog tied outside on a 5 foot length of chain, never interacting with the family. Little Johnny is “learning responsibility” by being the one who feeds the dog.
24-hour groceries, or even groceries that are open past 6 or 7. And I don’t mean convenience stores. I mean the groceries where you can go in and get all your fruits, veggies and other food. It’s amazing that you can go in any time of the day or night and get all kinds of food - fresh food, convenience food, magazines. Anything.
Air conditioning. Most people consider it a necessity, but it wasn’t considered a standard utility even when my mom was a kid. On hot nights, most people would sleep outdoors instead of gravitating indoors for a cooler climate.
General cleanliness. Okay, so it’s maybe not a luxury, but our standard of what is clean vs. what isn’t has significantly changed since the turn of the century, including not just personal hygeine, but also household cleanliness. Now people can’t live without their disposable Lysol wipes, special protectors to keep babies from touching shopping cart handles and all other kinds of things that would’ve once made people scratch their heads.
Calculators. Alright, probably not a luxury item price-wise these days, but I remember when math was either in your head, with pencil or paper, or for the really high level people, sliderules and log tables. Young’uns these days just don’t appreciate what a change that was.
**Cellphones. ** In a sense, phones in general, but it used to be that phones were either tied to a physical line and lived in your house on a wall or table, or “mobile” phones required a golf cart or a porter to haul around the battery/power source and antenna. Some dinky thing I slip into a pocket or clip to my belt that goes everywhere with me, has enough power to last a couple days if I’m frugal with use, and allows me to call for help or keep in touch from almost anywhere I am likely to be in may daily life, or while traveling, is amazing. At least to me. I still marvel over it.
Fresh food year round. People didn’t use to get scurvy in the spring because they were ignorant of the need for fresh food, they just didn’t have fresh food available. My parents remember those days, when only the wealthiest had fresh fruits and vegetables in late winter. I can walk into my local store and get fresh food any time I want, from all over the world. I regularly eat food my parents never heard of when they were young.
ATMs/debit cards/24-7 bank branches/on-line banking. I remember when banking hours were limited, where sometimes you had to take time off work to go to the bank, or do it on your lunch hour. I remember when you had to deposit a physical paycheck and lines at the bank on Fridays were long because of it. I can now get my money 24/7, make deposits any day of the week at hours convenient to me, and even do many banking functions sitting in my bedroom in my underwear at home. This was not possible when I was 20. Back then, banking was often inconvenient.
The internet. Let’s see - I can do research (again, in my underwear in my bedroom) any time instead of scheduling time to go to a library for it. I can communicate in real time with people everywhere in the world (well, everywhere that’s connected) without spending an arm and a leg in phone charges. I can shop on line, sell on line, read on line, listen to music on line, look at pictures on line. I can send photos and recordings to friends and loved ones. If it’s 2 am and I can’t sleep I can join a discussion somewhere instead of stewing in a dark, quiet house. I can catch up with the news. I can read/listen to stuff in foreign languages as easily as I can in English, without having to go through the headache of special ordering items. I can watch movies, play games, work on projects with other people. People have become so… so… oblivious to what an amazing thing this is!
Anyhow, can probably think of others, that’s just off the top of my head.
Agreed. Never miss it til it’s unavailable. Then I appreciate it very, very much.
I’ll chime in with more dissent on your #3. I’m just a broke college student but every once in a while (as in, maybe twice a year) I’ll spring for maid cleaning of my apartment just because I hate cleaning so much. I appreciate it very, very much and it’s worth it to me.
<picks up jaw from desk> There’s this thing called “used televisons bought at the second-hand store” or “gift” or “freecycle”. It’s possible to own a televison and not pay $500 dollars for it. I’ve never bought a televison, and yet there’s been one in every place I’ve ever lived.
I guess I’ll add televsion to the most under-appreciated luxury items list.
How can anyone *not *view television as a total luxury? It does nothing, nothing useful.
Well, it’s nice to see the map when the hurricane’s coming.
I would agree that it’s overall a luxury, but that is an extremely narrow definition of “useful”.
Ok. I’ll concede there’s a use for a TV for someone who does not have access to any other media outlet or the internet.
Still, in the context of Bijou Drains’ post, if I had the choice of a laptop or a TV I’d take the laptop. But then, I live pretty deep in the nethers of luxury and the world of free wireless.
I used to have a 911SC. I bought it because I like cars, and I liked the acceleration and handling. So now you’ve virtually met a (former) owner of a luxury car who is an enthusiast. 
I usually have contempt for people in high performance cars, unless I see that they’ve got gray hair. Hell, a 50 yo guy riding a Boxster because his kids are out of college and he can finally afford it? He for damn sure appreciates it; more power to him.
A luxury that I appreciate: I drop off my laundry; $1 per pound, or about $24 every week and a half. I work hard and don’t get a lot of free time; I’m not going to spend half a day in a laundromat.
That is really cool! I will definitely look into that if I ever spend significant time in a shower-free zone in the future. I’m going back to the US in a few weeks, though, and it’s not practical to get one for now.
Nobody has mentioned electricity yet? Well, energy brought to your house, whether it be electrical or gas.
I’m sure grateful for that when I’m warm inside and it’s snowing out, or when I cook, but like running water it’s something we just take for granted.
Pimp cups
Really, none of that stuff (with the possible exception of the luxury car) is really a luxury at all. Just because one can’t afford something doesn’t mean that it’s a luxury; it just means you don’t have enough money. Of course there’s a certain point where something is created for the express purpose of luxury, and it’s going to be expensive, but it’s a bona fide luxury. Apple computers? Cell phones? That’s all common, consumer crap. A top of the line Hyundai isn’t a luxury, but a Lexus can be. A denim jacket’s probably not a luxury, but a chinchilla coat is – it has no other purpose other than to demonstrate its luxury. An iPhone isn’t a luxury, the the now-pulled “I’m Rich” application I would consider a luxury.
I still can’t figure out why the OP thinks that luxury cars are made for people who are car enthusiasts. They’re not. They’re made for people who want the maximum amount of comfort available in an automobile. Since a great deal of them are incredibly boring to drive (or, point down the road), it would stand to reason that car manufacturers aren’t even trying to market their luxury lines at car enthusiasts.
coughpower outagescough or even camping=)
Yachts - not boats, yachts that one owns and has ‘others’ that they pay to run for them.
Basically, a single-person or single-family cruise ship.
Underappreciated in that most sit at a dock most of the time.
You can buy a cheap TV for $100 but now you can also buy a netbook for $150 - and it will be fully functional as a PC , just smaller.