1984 vs 2020
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+203.3%
Median Home
+310.4%
Housing Labor
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1984 Price | 2020 Price | Change | Hours 1984 | Hours 2020 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $1.51 | +50% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.54 | $1.45 | +168% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.21 | $2.17 | +79% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.29 | $4.12 | +220% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.81 | $1.56 | +93% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.86 | $5.58 | +201% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.58 | $4.43 | +72% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.22 | $4.92 | +122% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +66% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,228 | $9,349 | +661% | 113.9h | 285.9h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $10,669 | $40,107 | +276% | 989.8h | 1226.6h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $332 | $1,076 | +224% | 30.8h | 32.9h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.22 | $68.24 | +99% | 3.2h | 2.1h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1984 to 2020, sorted by magnitude.
113.9h → 285.9h
harder
989.8h → 1226.6h
harder
30.8h → 32.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1984 to 2020, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
3.2h → 2.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1984 ($22,420), you'd need $55,839 in 2020 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (103.9 → 258.9).