1988 vs 2017
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$27,230
→
$61,140
+124.5%
Median Home
$112,225
→
$322,425
+187.3%
Housing Labor
4.1yr
→
5.3yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1988 Price | 2017 Price | Change | Hours 1988 | Hours 2017 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.79 | $1.47 | +86% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.61 | $1.33 | +117% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.95 | $2.41 | +154% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.36 | $3.64 | +167% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.85 | $1.47 | +72% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.88 | $5.77 | +206% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.77 | $4.45 | +61% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.46 | $4.69 | +91% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +72% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,646 | $9,037 | +449% | 125.7h | 307.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $13,932 | $36,113 | +159% | 1064.2h | 1228.6h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $403 | $971 | +141% | 30.8h | 33.0h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $28.27 | $74.24 | +163% | 2.2h | 2.5h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1988 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
125.7h → 307.4h
2.4x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.4x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.2h → 2.5h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1064.2h → 1228.6h
1.2x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
30.8h → 33.0h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1988 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1988 ($27,230), you'd need $56,433 in 2017 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (118.3 → 245.1).