1989 vs 2005
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+60.3%
Median Home
+96.4%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2005 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2005 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $1.22 | +22% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.04 | +56% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $2.30 | +125% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $2.30 | +59% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.06 | +14% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $3.39 | +92% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.07 | $3.26 | +6% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $3.74 | +44% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.10 | +22% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $5,351 | +201% | 128.1h | 240.2h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $25,164 | +75% | 1034.0h | 1129.7h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $685 | +64% | 30.1h | 30.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $68.19 | +120% | 2.2h | 3.1h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2005, sorted by magnitude.
128.1h → 240.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 3.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
1034.0h → 1129.7h
harder
30.1h → 30.7h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2005, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1989 ($28,910), you'd need $45,547 in 2005 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 195.3).