1987 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$26,060
→
$63,180
+142.4%
Median Home
$104,700
→
$325,275
+210.7%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
5.1yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1987 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 1987 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.78 | $1.74 | +123% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.55 | $1.29 | +135% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.95 | $2.74 | +188% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.31 | $3.72 | +184% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.78 | $1.50 | +91% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.14 | $5.47 | +155% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.79 | $4.30 | +54% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.46 | $4.74 | +93% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +72% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,537 | $9,212 | +499% | 122.7h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $12,922 | $37,577 | +191% | 1031.4h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $388 | $1,006 | +159% | 31.0h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $28.03 | $84.16 | +200% | 2.2h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1987 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
122.7h → 303.3h
2.5x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.2h → 2.8h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1031.4h → 1237.1h
1.2x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.0h → 33.1h
1.1x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.2h → 0.2h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1987 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1987 ($26,060), you'd need $57,594 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (113.6 → 251.1).