1988 vs 2016
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+116.8%
Median Home
+171.9%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1988 Price | 2016 Price | Change | Hours 1988 | Hours 2016 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.79 | $1.68 | +113% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.61 | $1.37 | +124% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.95 | $2.14 | +126% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.36 | $3.75 | +175% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.85 | $1.46 | +71% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.88 | $5.42 | +188% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.77 | $4.39 | +59% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.46 | $4.76 | +94% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +69% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,646 | $8,804 | +435% | 125.7h | 310.2h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $13,932 | $35,309 | +153% | 1064.2h | 1243.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $403 | $935 | +132% | 30.8h | 32.9h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $28.27 | $65.64 | +132% | 2.2h | 2.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1988 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
125.7h → 310.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1064.2h → 1243.9h
harder
30.8h → 32.9h
harder
2.2h → 2.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1988 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
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 $55,256 in 2016 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (118.3 → 240.0).