1988 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$27,230
→
$63,180
+132.0%
Median Home
$112,225
→
$325,275
+189.8%
Housing Labor
4.1yr
→
5.1yr
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1988 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 1988 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.79 | $1.74 | +121% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.61 | $1.29 | +110% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.95 | $2.74 | +189% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.36 | $3.72 | +172% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.85 | $1.50 | +75% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.88 | $5.47 | +190% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.77 | $4.30 | +55% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.46 | $4.74 | +93% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +70% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,646 | $9,212 | +460% | 125.7h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $13,932 | $37,577 | +170% | 1064.2h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $403 | $1,006 | +150% | 30.8h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $28.27 | $84.16 | +198% | 2.2h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1988 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
125.7h → 303.3h
2.4x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.2h → 2.8h
1.3x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.3x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1064.2h → 1237.1h
1.2x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
30.8h → 33.1h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1988 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1988 ($27,230), you'd need $57,810 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (118.3 → 251.1).