1986 vs 2014
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+115.5%
Median Home
+210.5%
Housing Labor
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1986 Price | 2014 Price | Change | Hours 1986 | Hours 2014 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.87 | $2.02 | +132% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.56 | $1.40 | +148% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.93 | $3.37 | +263% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.23 | $3.90 | +216% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.83 | $1.53 | +84% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.08 | $5.78 | +177% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.99 | +45% | 0.3h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.36 | $4.89 | +107% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +79% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,414 | $8,543 | +504% | 118.1h | 331.1h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $12,319 | $33,560 | +172% | 1029.1h | 1300.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $373 | $870 | +133% | 31.1h | 33.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $26.99 | $102 | +276% | 2.3h | 3.9h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1986 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
118.1h → 331.1h
harder
2.3h → 3.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
1029.1h → 1300.9h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
31.1h → 33.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1986 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
0.3h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1986 ($24,900), you'd need $53,734 in 2014 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (109.7 → 236.7).