1989 vs 2016
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+104.2%
Median Home
+153.4%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2016 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2016 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $1.68 | +69% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.37 | +106% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $2.14 | +110% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $3.75 | +160% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.46 | +58% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $5.42 | +207% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.07 | $4.39 | +43% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.76 | +83% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +65% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $8,804 | +395% | 128.1h | 310.2h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $35,309 | +146% | 1034.0h | 1243.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $935 | +124% | 30.1h | 32.9h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $65.64 | +112% | 2.2h | 2.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
128.1h → 310.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1034.0h → 1243.9h
harder
30.1h → 32.9h
harder
2.2h → 2.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1989 ($28,910), you'd need $55,982 in 2016 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 240.0).