1989 vs 2017
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$28,910
→
$61,140
+111.5%
Median Home
$120,425
→
$322,425
+167.7%
Housing Labor
4.2yr
→
5.3yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2017 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2017 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $1.47 | +47% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.33 | +100% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $2.41 | +136% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $3.64 | +153% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.47 | +59% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $5.77 | +227% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.07 | $4.45 | +45% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.69 | +81% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +68% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $9,037 | +408% | 128.1h | 307.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $36,113 | +151% | 1034.0h | 1228.6h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $971 | +132% | 30.1h | 33.0h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $74.24 | +140% | 2.2h | 2.5h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
128.1h → 307.4h
2.4x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.5x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1034.0h → 1228.6h
1.2x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.2h → 2.5h
1.1x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
30.1h → 33.0h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1989 ($28,910), you'd need $57,176 in 2017 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 245.1).