1989 vs 2014
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+85.6%
Median Home
+137.3%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2014 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2014 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $2.02 | +102% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.40 | +111% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $3.37 | +229% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $3.90 | +171% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.53 | +65% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $5.78 | +227% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.07 | $4.99 | +62% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.89 | +88% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +68% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $8,543 | +380% | 128.1h | 331.1h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $33,560 | +134% | 1034.0h | 1300.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $870 | +108% | 30.1h | 33.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $102 | +228% | 2.2h | 3.9h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
128.1h → 331.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 3.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
1034.0h → 1300.9h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
30.1h → 33.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
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 $55,215 in 2014 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 236.7).