1988 vs 2008
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+84.7%
Median Home
+104.5%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1988 Price | 2008 Price | Change | Hours 1988 | Hours 2008 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.79 | $1.99 | +152% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.61 | $1.37 | +123% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.95 | $3.27 | +245% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.36 | $2.34 | +72% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.85 | $1.21 | +41% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.88 | $3.66 | +94% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.46 | $4.21 | +71% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.12 | +54% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,646 | $6,185 | +276% | 125.7h | 255.8h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $13,932 | $27,291 | +96% | 1064.2h | 1128.5h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $403 | $766 | +90% | 30.8h | 31.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $28.27 | $96.75 | +242% | 2.2h | 4.0h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1988 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
125.7h → 255.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 4.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
1064.2h → 1128.5h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
30.8h → 31.7h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1988 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1988 ($27,230), you'd need $49,557 in 2008 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (118.3 → 215.3).