1986 vs 2017
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$24,900
→
$61,140
+145.5%
Median Home
$92,025
→
$322,425
+250.4%
Housing Labor
3.7yr
→
5.3yr
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1986 Price | 2017 Price | Change | Hours 1986 | Hours 2017 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.87 | $1.47 | +69% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.56 | $1.33 | +136% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.93 | $2.41 | +160% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.23 | $3.64 | +196% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.83 | $1.47 | +76% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.08 | $5.77 | +177% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.45 | +30% | 0.3h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.36 | $4.69 | +99% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +80% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,414 | $9,037 | +539% | 118.1h | 307.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $12,319 | $36,113 | +193% | 1029.1h | 1228.6h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $373 | $971 | +161% | 31.1h | 33.0h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $26.99 | $74.24 | +175% | 2.3h | 2.5h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1986 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
118.1h → 307.4h
2.6x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1029.1h → 1228.6h
1.2x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.2h → 0.2h
1.1x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.3h → 2.5h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.1h → 33.0h
1.1x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1986 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1986 ($24,900), you'd need $55,642 in 2017 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (109.7 → 245.1).