1986 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$24,900
→
$63,180
+153.7%
Median Home
$92,025
→
$325,275
+253.5%
Housing Labor
3.7yr
→
5.1yr
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1986 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 1986 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.87 | $1.74 | +100% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.56 | $1.29 | +128% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.93 | $2.74 | +195% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.23 | $3.72 | +202% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.83 | $1.50 | +79% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.08 | $5.47 | +163% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.30 | +25% | 0.3h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.36 | $4.74 | +101% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +78% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,414 | $9,212 | +551% | 118.1h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $12,319 | $37,577 | +205% | 1029.1h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $373 | $1,006 | +170% | 31.1h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $26.99 | $84.16 | +212% | 2.3h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1986 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
118.1h → 303.3h
2.6x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.3h → 2.8h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1029.1h → 1237.1h
1.2x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.1h → 33.1h
1.1x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.2h → 0.2h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1986 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1986 ($24,900), you'd need $57,000 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (109.7 → 251.1).