1986 vs 2023
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$24,900
→
$80,610
+223.7%
Median Home
$92,025
→
$426,525
+363.5%
Housing Labor
3.7yr
→
5.3yr
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1986 Price | 2023 Price | Change | Hours 1986 | Hours 2023 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.87 | $2.80 | +222% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.56 | $1.96 | +247% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.93 | $3.66 | +294% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.23 | $5.02 | +307% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.83 | $1.91 | +129% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.08 | $6.65 | +220% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $6.16 | +79% | 0.3h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.36 | $5.90 | +150% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.17 | +120% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,414 | $10,209 | +622% | 118.1h | 263.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $12,319 | $47,936 | +289% | 1029.1h | 1236.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $373 | $1,259 | +238% | 31.1h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $26.99 | $109 | +304% | 2.3h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1986 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
118.1h → 263.4h
2.2x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.3x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.3h → 2.8h
1.2x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1029.1h → 1236.9h
1.2x
harder
🍞
Bread
0.0h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.1h → 32.5h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1986 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1986 ($24,900), you'd need $69,168 in 2023 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (109.7 → 304.7).