1988 vs 2019
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$27,230
→
$68,700
+152.3%
Median Home
$112,225
→
$320,250
+185.4%
Housing Labor
4.1yr
→
4.7yr
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1988 Price | 2019 Price | Change | Hours 1988 | Hours 2019 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.79 | $1.40 | +77% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.61 | $1.30 | +112% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.95 | $2.64 | +179% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.36 | $3.81 | +179% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.85 | $1.50 | +75% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.88 | $5.61 | +198% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.77 | $4.14 | +50% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.46 | $4.81 | +96% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +70% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,646 | $9,349 | +468% | 125.7h | 283.1h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $13,932 | $38,723 | +178% | 1064.2h | 1172.4h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $403 | $1,043 | +159% | 30.8h | 31.6h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $28.27 | $81.15 | +187% | 2.2h | 2.5h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1988 to 2019, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
125.7h → 283.1h
2.3x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.2x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.2h → 2.5h
1.1x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🚗
New Car
1064.2h → 1172.4h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
30.8h → 31.6h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1988 to 2019, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1988 ($27,230), you'd need $58,858 in 2019 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (118.3 → 255.7).