1988 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$27,230
→
$70,780
+159.9%
Median Home
$112,225
→
$383,000
+241.3%
Housing Labor
4.1yr
→
5.4yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1988 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 1988 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.79 | $1.67 | +112% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.61 | $1.52 | +149% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.95 | $3.05 | +222% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.36 | $4.33 | +217% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.85 | $1.53 | +79% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.88 | $6.64 | +252% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.77 | $4.71 | +70% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.46 | $4.89 | +99% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +76% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,646 | $9,375 | +470% | 125.7h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $13,932 | $42,258 | +203% | 1064.2h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $403 | $1,100 | +173% | 30.8h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $28.27 | $92.47 | +227% | 2.2h | 2.7h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1988 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
125.7h → 275.5h
2.2x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.4x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.2h → 2.7h
1.3x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1064.2h → 1241.8h
1.2x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
30.8h → 32.3h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1988 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1988 ($27,230), you'd need $62,384 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (118.3 → 271.0).