1989 vs 2015
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+95.5%
Median Home
+144.3%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2015 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2015 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $2.47 | +147% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.44 | +117% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $2.45 | +139% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $4.17 | +189% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.49 | +61% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $5.45 | +209% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.07 | $4.72 | +54% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.74 | +82% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +69% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $8,778 | +393% | 128.1h | 323.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $34,428 | +140% | 1034.0h | 1267.0h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $901 | +115% | 30.1h | 33.2h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $74.01 | +139% | 2.2h | 2.7h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2015, sorted by magnitude.
128.1h → 323.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1034.0h → 1267.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 2.7h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
30.1h → 33.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2015, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
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 $55,282 in 2015 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 237.0).