1988 vs 2007
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+84.5%
Median Home
+118.3%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1988 Price | 2007 Price | Change | Hours 1988 | Hours 2007 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.79 | $1.68 | +112% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.61 | $1.21 | +97% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.95 | $2.80 | +196% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.36 | $2.30 | +68% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.85 | $1.12 | +31% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.88 | $3.66 | +94% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.77 | $3.47 | +25% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.46 | $3.95 | +61% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.12 | +46% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,646 | $5,943 | +261% | 125.7h | 246.1h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $13,932 | $27,026 | +94% | 1064.2h | 1119.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $403 | $739 | +84% | 30.8h | 30.6h | Easier |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $28.27 | $83.31 | +195% | 2.2h | 3.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1988 to 2007, sorted by magnitude.
125.7h → 246.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 3.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
1064.2h → 1119.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1988 to 2007, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
30.8h → 30.6h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1988 ($27,230), you'd need $47,736 in 2007 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (118.3 → 207.3).