1989 vs 2020
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+135.2%
Median Home
+172.5%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2020 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2020 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $1.51 | +51% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.45 | +118% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $2.17 | +113% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $4.12 | +186% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.56 | +69% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $5.58 | +216% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.07 | $4.43 | +44% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.92 | +89% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +65% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $9,349 | +425% | 128.1h | 285.9h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $40,107 | +179% | 1034.0h | 1226.6h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $1,076 | +157% | 30.1h | 32.9h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $68.24 | +121% | 2.2h | 2.1h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2020, sorted by magnitude.
128.1h → 285.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1034.0h → 1226.6h
harder
30.1h → 32.9h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2020, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
2.2h → 2.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1989 ($28,910), you'd need $60,379 in 2020 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 258.9).