1988 vs 2023
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+196.0%
Median Home
+280.1%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1988 Price | 2023 Price | Change | Hours 1988 | Hours 2023 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.79 | $2.80 | +254% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.61 | $1.96 | +220% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $0.95 | $3.66 | +287% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.36 | $5.02 | +268% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.85 | $1.91 | +124% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.88 | $6.65 | +253% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.77 | $6.16 | +122% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.46 | $5.90 | +140% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.17 | +110% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,646 | $10,209 | +520% | 125.7h | 263.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $13,932 | $47,936 | +244% | 1064.2h | 1236.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $403 | $1,259 | +213% | 30.8h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $28.27 | $109 | +286% | 2.2h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1988 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
125.7h → 263.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 2.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
1064.2h → 1236.9h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
30.8h → 32.5h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1988 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1988 ($27,230), you'd need $70,151 in 2023 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (118.3 → 304.7).