1987 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+171.6%
Median Home
+265.8%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1987 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 1987 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.78 | $1.67 | +114% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.55 | $1.52 | +178% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.95 | $3.05 | +222% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.31 | $4.33 | +230% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.78 | $1.53 | +95% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.14 | $6.64 | +210% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.79 | $4.71 | +69% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.46 | $4.89 | +99% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +78% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,537 | $9,375 | +510% | 122.7h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $12,922 | $42,258 | +227% | 1031.4h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $388 | $1,100 | +184% | 31.0h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $28.03 | $92.47 | +230% | 2.2h | 2.7h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1987 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
122.7h → 275.5h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 2.7h
harder
1031.4h → 1241.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
31.0h → 32.3h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1987 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1987 ($26,060), you'd need $62,151 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (113.6 → 271.0).