1984 vs 2023
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+259.5%
Median Home
+433.5%
Housing Labor
1.5x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1984 Price | 2023 Price | Change | Hours 1984 | Hours 2023 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $2.80 | +178% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.54 | $1.96 | +262% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.21 | $3.66 | +202% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.29 | $5.02 | +290% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.81 | $1.91 | +136% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.86 | $6.65 | +258% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.58 | $6.16 | +139% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.22 | $5.90 | +166% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.17 | +106% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,228 | $10,209 | +731% | 113.9h | 263.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $10,669 | $47,936 | +349% | 989.8h | 1236.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $332 | $1,259 | +280% | 30.8h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.22 | $109 | +219% | 3.2h | 2.8h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1984 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
113.9h → 263.4h
harder
989.8h → 1236.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
30.8h → 32.5h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1984 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
3.2h → 2.8h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1984 ($22,420), you'd need $65,729 in 2023 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (103.9 → 304.7).