1989 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$28,910
→
$70,780
+144.8%
Median Home
$120,425
→
$383,000
+218.0%
Housing Labor
4.2yr
→
5.4yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $1.67 | +68% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.52 | +129% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $3.05 | +198% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $4.33 | +201% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.53 | +65% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $6.64 | +276% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.07 | $4.71 | +53% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.89 | +88% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +72% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $9,375 | +427% | 128.1h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $42,258 | +194% | 1034.0h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $1,100 | +163% | 30.1h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $92.47 | +199% | 2.2h | 2.7h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
128.1h → 275.5h
2.2x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.5x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.2h → 2.7h
1.2x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1034.0h → 1241.8h
1.2x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
30.1h → 32.3h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1989 ($28,910), you'd need $63,205 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 271.0).