1988 vs 2011
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+83.8%
Median Home
+100.4%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1988 Price | 2011 Price | Change | Hours 1988 | Hours 2011 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.79 | $1.77 | +124% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.61 | $1.44 | +136% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.95 | $3.53 | +273% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.36 | $2.77 | +103% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.85 | $1.29 | +51% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.88 | $4.63 | +146% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.77 | $5.19 | +87% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.46 | $4.93 | +100% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.13 | +62% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,646 | $7,713 | +369% | 125.7h | 320.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $13,932 | $30,659 | +120% | 1064.2h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $403 | $799 | +98% | 30.8h | 33.2h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $28.27 | $105 | +273% | 2.2h | 4.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1988 to 2011, sorted by magnitude.
125.7h → 320.5h
harder
2.2h → 4.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1064.2h → 1274.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
30.8h → 33.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1988 to 2011, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1988 ($27,230), you'd need $51,783 in 2011 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (118.3 → 224.9).