1986 vs 2019
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$24,900
→
$68,700
+175.9%
Median Home
$92,025
→
$320,250
+248.0%
Housing Labor
3.7yr
→
4.7yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1986 Price | 2019 Price | Change | Hours 1986 | Hours 2019 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.87 | $1.40 | +61% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.56 | $1.30 | +130% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.93 | $2.64 | +184% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.23 | $3.81 | +209% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.83 | $1.50 | +79% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.08 | $5.61 | +170% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.14 | +21% | 0.3h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.36 | $4.81 | +104% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +78% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,414 | $9,349 | +561% | 118.1h | 283.1h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $12,319 | $38,723 | +214% | 1029.1h | 1172.4h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $373 | $1,043 | +180% | 31.1h | 31.6h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $26.99 | $81.15 | +201% | 2.3h | 2.5h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1986 to 2019, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
118.1h → 283.1h
2.4x
harder
🚗
New Car
1029.1h → 1172.4h
1.1x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.3h → 2.5h
1.1x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.0x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.1h → 31.6h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1986 to 2019, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1986 ($24,900), you'd need $58,033 in 2019 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (109.7 → 255.7).