1984 vs 2022
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$22,420
→
$74,580
+232.6%
Median Home
$79,950
→
$432,950
+441.5%
Housing Labor
3.6yr
→
5.8yr
1.6x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1984 Price | 2022 Price | Change | Hours 1984 | Hours 2022 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $2.86 | +184% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.54 | $1.70 | +214% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.21 | $4.09 | +238% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.29 | $4.81 | +274% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.81 | $1.80 | +122% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.86 | $7.31 | +293% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.58 | $5.89 | +129% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.22 | $5.43 | +145% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.16 | +94% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,228 | $9,750 | +694% | 113.9h | 271.9h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $10,669 | $48,008 | +350% | 989.8h | 1338.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $332 | $1,166 | +252% | 30.8h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.22 | $121 | +255% | 3.2h | 3.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1984 to 2022, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
113.9h → 271.9h
2.4x
harder
🚗
New Car
989.8h → 1338.9h
1.4x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.2h → 0.2h
1.2x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
3.2h → 3.4h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
30.8h → 32.5h
1.1x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1984 to 2022, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1984 ($22,420), you'd need $63,124 in 2022 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (103.9 → 292.6).