1986 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+104.9%
Median Home
+165.6%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1986 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 1986 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.87 | $1.84 | +111% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.56 | $1.42 | +151% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.93 | $3.64 | +293% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.23 | $3.03 | +146% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.83 | $1.42 | +70% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.08 | $4.56 | +119% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $5.68 | +65% | 0.3h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.36 | $5.04 | +114% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.13 | +69% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,414 | $8,070 | +471% | 118.1h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $12,319 | $31,252 | +154% | 1029.1h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $373 | $820 | +120% | 31.1h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $26.99 | $109 | +304% | 2.3h | 4.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1986 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
118.1h → 329.0h
harder
2.3h → 4.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1029.1h → 1274.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
31.1h → 33.4h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1986 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.3h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1986 ($24,900), you'd need $52,116 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (109.7 → 229.6).