1986 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$24,900
→
$70,780
+184.3%
Median Home
$92,025
→
$383,000
+316.2%
Housing Labor
3.7yr
→
5.4yr
1.5x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1986 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 1986 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.87 | $1.67 | +93% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.56 | $1.52 | +170% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.93 | $3.05 | +229% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.23 | $4.33 | +251% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.83 | $1.53 | +83% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.08 | $6.64 | +219% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.71 | +37% | 0.3h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.36 | $4.89 | +107% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +84% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,414 | $9,375 | +563% | 118.1h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $12,319 | $42,258 | +243% | 1029.1h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $373 | $1,100 | +195% | 31.1h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $26.99 | $92.47 | +243% | 2.3h | 2.7h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1986 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
118.1h → 275.5h
2.3x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1029.1h → 1241.8h
1.2x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.3h → 2.7h
1.2x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.2h → 0.2h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.1h → 32.3h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1986 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1986 ($24,900), you'd need $61,510 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (109.7 → 271.0).