1989 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$28,910
→
$63,180
+118.5%
Median Home
$120,425
→
$325,275
+170.1%
Housing Labor
4.2yr
→
5.1yr
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $1.74 | +75% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.29 | +93% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $2.74 | +168% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $3.72 | +158% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.50 | +61% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $5.47 | +209% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.07 | $4.30 | +40% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.74 | +82% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +66% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $9,212 | +418% | 128.1h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $37,577 | +161% | 1034.0h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $1,006 | +140% | 30.1h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $84.16 | +172% | 2.2h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
128.1h → 303.3h
2.4x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.4x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.2h → 2.8h
1.2x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1034.0h → 1237.1h
1.2x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
30.1h → 33.1h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1989 ($28,910), you'd need $58,570 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 251.1).