1989 vs 2011
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+73.1%
Median Home
+86.8%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2011 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2011 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $1.77 | +77% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.44 | +117% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $3.53 | +245% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $2.77 | +93% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.29 | +39% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $4.63 | +162% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.07 | $5.19 | +69% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.93 | +90% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.13 | +59% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $7,713 | +333% | 128.1h | 320.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $30,659 | +113% | 1034.0h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $799 | +91% | 30.1h | 33.2h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $105 | +241% | 2.2h | 4.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2011, sorted by magnitude.
128.1h → 320.5h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 4.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
1034.0h → 1274.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
30.1h → 33.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2011, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1989 ($28,910), you'd need $52,464 in 2011 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 224.9).