1989 vs 2022
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+158.0%
Median Home
+259.5%
Housing Labor
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2022 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2022 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $2.86 | +186% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.70 | +155% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $4.09 | +300% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $4.81 | +234% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.80 | +94% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $7.31 | +314% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.07 | $5.89 | +92% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $5.43 | +109% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.16 | +94% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $9,750 | +448% | 128.1h | 271.9h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $48,008 | +234% | 1034.0h | 1338.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $1,166 | +179% | 30.1h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $121 | +292% | 2.2h | 3.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2022, sorted by magnitude.
128.1h → 271.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 3.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1034.0h → 1338.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
30.1h → 32.5h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2022, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1989 ($28,910), you'd need $68,256 in 2022 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 292.6).