1988 vs 2015
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+107.6%
Median Home
+162.1%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1988 Price | 2015 Price | Change | Hours 1988 | Hours 2015 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.79 | $2.47 | +213% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.61 | $1.44 | +135% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.95 | $2.45 | +159% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.36 | $4.17 | +205% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.85 | $1.49 | +74% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.88 | $5.45 | +190% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.77 | $4.72 | +70% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.46 | $4.74 | +93% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +73% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,646 | $8,778 | +433% | 125.7h | 323.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $13,932 | $34,428 | +147% | 1064.2h | 1267.0h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $403 | $901 | +124% | 30.8h | 33.2h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $28.27 | $74.01 | +162% | 2.2h | 2.7h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1988 to 2015, sorted by magnitude.
125.7h → 323.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
2.2h → 2.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1064.2h → 1267.0h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
30.8h → 33.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1988 to 2015, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1988 ($27,230), you'd need $54,564 in 2015 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (118.3 → 237.0).