1986 vs 2015
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+127.0%
Median Home
+219.6%
Housing Labor
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1986 Price | 2015 Price | Change | Hours 1986 | Hours 2015 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.87 | $2.47 | +184% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.56 | $1.44 | +155% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.93 | $2.45 | +164% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.23 | $4.17 | +238% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.83 | $1.49 | +78% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.08 | $5.45 | +162% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.72 | +37% | 0.3h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.36 | $4.74 | +101% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +80% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,414 | $8,778 | +521% | 118.1h | 323.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $12,319 | $34,428 | +179% | 1029.1h | 1267.0h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $373 | $901 | +142% | 31.1h | 33.2h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $26.99 | $74.01 | +174% | 2.3h | 2.7h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1986 to 2015, sorted by magnitude.
118.1h → 323.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1029.1h → 1267.0h
harder
2.3h → 2.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
31.1h → 33.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1986 to 2015, sorted by magnitude.
0.3h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1986 ($24,900), you'd need $53,799 in 2015 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (109.7 → 237.0).