1986 vs 1992
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$24,900
→
$30,640
+23.1%
Median Home
$92,025
→
$121,375
+31.9%
Housing Labor
3.7yr
→
4.0yr
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1986 Price | 1992 Price | Change | Hours 1986 | Hours 1992 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.87 | $0.86 | -1% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.56 | $0.75 | +33% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.93 | $1.13 | +21% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.23 | $1.54 | +25% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.83 | $0.87 | +4% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.08 | $1.92 | -8% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $2.58 | -25% | 0.3h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.36 | $2.58 | +10% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.09 | +15% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,414 | $2,349 | +66% | 118.1h | 159.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $12,319 | $17,109 | +39% | 1029.1h | 1161.4h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $373 | $463 | +24% | 31.1h | 31.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $26.99 | $34.64 | +28% | 2.3h | 2.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1986 to 1992, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
118.1h → 159.5h
1.4x
harder
🚗
New Car
1029.1h → 1161.4h
1.1x
harder
🍞
Bread
0.0h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.3h → 2.4h
1.0x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.0x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.1h → 31.4h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1986 to 1992, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1986 ($24,900), you'd need $31,850 in 1992 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (109.7 → 140.3).