1989 vs 2009
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+72.2%
Median Home
+79.1%
Housing Labor
1.0x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2009 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2009 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $1.66 | +67% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.39 | +108% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $2.35 | +130% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $2.22 | +54% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.28 | +38% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $3.61 | +104% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.07 | $3.67 | +19% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.32 | +66% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.13 | +55% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $6,695 | +276% | 128.1h | 279.7h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $28,400 | +98% | 1034.0h | 1186.7h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $784 | +87% | 30.1h | 32.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $70.76 | +129% | 2.2h | 3.0h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2009, sorted by magnitude.
128.1h → 279.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 3.0h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
1034.0h → 1186.7h
harder
30.1h → 32.7h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2009, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
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 $50,048 in 2009 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 214.6).