1985 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+116.0%
Median Home
+190.0%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1985 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 1985 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.80 | $1.84 | +129% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.55 | $1.42 | +156% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.20 | $3.64 | +203% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.24 | $3.03 | +145% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.76 | $1.42 | +86% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.94 | $4.56 | +135% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.58 | $5.68 | +120% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.30 | $5.04 | +119% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.13 | +59% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,318 | $8,070 | +512% | 116.1h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $11,450 | $31,252 | +173% | 1008.3h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $352 | $820 | +133% | 31.0h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.50 | $109 | +216% | 3.0h | 4.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1985 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
116.1h → 329.0h
harder
3.0h → 4.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1008.3h → 1274.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
31.0h → 33.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1985 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1985 ($23,620), you'd need $50,398 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (107.6 → 229.6).