1987 vs 2016
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$26,060
→
$59,040
+126.6%
Median Home
$104,700
→
$305,125
+191.4%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
5.2yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1987 Price | 2016 Price | Change | Hours 1987 | Hours 2016 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.78 | $1.68 | +115% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.55 | $1.37 | +150% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.95 | $2.14 | +126% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.31 | $3.75 | +186% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.78 | $1.46 | +86% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.14 | $5.42 | +153% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.79 | $4.39 | +58% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.46 | $4.76 | +94% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +71% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,537 | $8,804 | +473% | 122.7h | 310.2h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $12,922 | $35,309 | +173% | 1031.4h | 1243.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $388 | $935 | +141% | 31.0h | 32.9h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $28.03 | $65.64 | +134% | 2.2h | 2.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1987 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
122.7h → 310.2h
2.5x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.3x
harder
🚗
New Car
1031.4h → 1243.9h
1.2x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.2h → 0.2h
1.1x
harder
🍞
Bread
0.0h → 0.0h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.0h → 32.9h
1.1x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.2h → 2.3h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1987 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1987 ($26,060), you'd need $55,050 in 2016 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (113.6 → 240.0).