1989 vs 2008
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+74.0%
Median Home
+90.6%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2008 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2008 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $1.99 | +99% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.37 | +105% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $3.27 | +220% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $2.34 | +63% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.21 | +30% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $3.66 | +107% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.21 | +62% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.12 | +51% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $6,185 | +247% | 128.1h | 255.8h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $27,291 | +90% | 1034.0h | 1128.5h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $766 | +83% | 30.1h | 31.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $96.75 | +213% | 2.2h | 4.0h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
128.1h → 255.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 4.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1034.0h → 1128.5h
harder
30.1h → 31.7h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1989 ($28,910), you'd need $50,209 in 2008 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 215.3).