1989 vs 2010
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+70.5%
Median Home
+84.9%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2010 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2010 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $1.66 | +66% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.37 | +106% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $2.79 | +173% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $2.37 | +64% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.26 | +36% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $4.11 | +132% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.07 | $3.91 | +27% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.46 | +72% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.13 | +56% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $7,136 | +301% | 128.1h | 301.2h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $29,217 | +103% | 1034.0h | 1233.2h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $786 | +88% | 30.1h | 33.2h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $83.69 | +170% | 2.2h | 3.5h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2010, sorted by magnitude.
128.1h → 301.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 3.5h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
1034.0h → 1233.2h
harder
30.1h → 33.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2010, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1989 ($28,910), you'd need $50,867 in 2010 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 218.1).