1989 vs 2023
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+178.8%
Median Home
+254.2%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1989 Price | 2023 Price | Change | Hours 1989 | Hours 2023 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.00 | $2.80 | +180% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.67 | $1.96 | +194% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.02 | $3.66 | +258% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.44 | $5.02 | +249% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.93 | $1.91 | +106% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.77 | $6.65 | +277% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.07 | $6.16 | +100% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $5.90 | +127% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.17 | +105% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,780 | $10,209 | +474% | 128.1h | 263.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $14,371 | $47,936 | +234% | 1034.0h | 1236.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $418 | $1,259 | +201% | 30.1h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $30.94 | $109 | +253% | 2.2h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1989 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
128.1h → 263.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 2.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1034.0h → 1236.9h
harder
30.1h → 32.5h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1989 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1989 ($28,910), you'd need $71,074 in 2023 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (123.9 → 304.7).