1989 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+76.5%
Median Home
+102.9%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $1.84 | +84% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.42 | +113% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $3.64 | +257% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $3.03 | +110% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.42 | +53% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $4.56 | +158% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.07 | $5.68 | +85% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $5.04 | +94% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.13 | +58% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $8,070 | +353% | 128.1h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $31,252 | +117% | 1034.0h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $820 | +96% | 30.1h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $109 | +252% | 2.2h | 4.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
128.1h → 329.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 4.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
1034.0h → 1274.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
30.1h → 33.4h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1989 ($28,910), you'd need $53,552 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 229.6).