1986 vs 1991
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$24,900
→
$30,130
+21.0%
Median Home
$92,025
→
$119,975
+30.4%
Housing Labor
3.7yr
→
4.0yr
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1986 Price | 1991 Price | Change | Hours 1986 | Hours 1991 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.87 | $0.99 | +14% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.56 | $0.71 | +26% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.93 | $1.14 | +23% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.23 | $1.60 | +29% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.83 | $0.88 | +5% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.08 | $2.22 | +7% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $2.81 | -18% | 0.3h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.36 | $2.58 | +9% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.09 | +13% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,414 | $2,107 | +49% | 118.1h | 145.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $12,319 | $16,362 | +33% | 1029.1h | 1129.5h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $373 | $451 | +21% | 31.1h | 31.2h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $26.99 | $34.74 | +29% | 2.3h | 2.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1986 to 1991, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
118.1h → 145.5h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1029.1h → 1129.5h
1.1x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.3h → 2.4h
1.1x
harder
🍞
Bread
0.0h → 0.0h
1.0x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.0x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.1h → 31.2h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1986 to 1991, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1986 ($24,900), you'd need $30,910 in 1991 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (109.7 → 136.2).