1984 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+215.7%
Median Home
+379.0%
Housing Labor
1.5x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1984 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 1984 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $1.67 | +67% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.54 | $1.52 | +181% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.21 | $3.05 | +152% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.29 | $4.33 | +236% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.81 | $1.53 | +88% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.86 | $6.64 | +257% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.58 | $4.71 | +83% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.22 | $4.89 | +121% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +72% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,228 | $9,375 | +663% | 113.9h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $10,669 | $42,258 | +296% | 989.8h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $332 | $1,100 | +232% | 30.8h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.22 | $92.47 | +170% | 3.2h | 2.7h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1984 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
113.9h → 275.5h
harder
989.8h → 1241.8h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
30.8h → 32.3h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1984 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
3.2h → 2.7h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1984 ($22,420), you'd need $58,452 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (103.9 → 271.0).