1990 vs 2009
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+66.3%
Median Home
+76.3%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1990 Price | 2009 Price | Change | Hours 1990 | Hours 2009 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.01 | $1.66 | +64% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.69 | $1.39 | +100% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.16 | $2.35 | +102% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.59 | $2.22 | +40% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.28 | +42% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.12 | $3.61 | +70% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.97 | $3.67 | +24% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.32 | +66% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.13 | +52% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,908 | $6,695 | +251% | 132.6h | 279.7h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $15,472 | $28,400 | +84% | 1074.9h | 1186.7h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $436 | $784 | +80% | 30.3h | 32.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $35.30 | $70.76 | +100% | 2.5h | 3.0h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1990 to 2009, sorted by magnitude.
132.6h → 279.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.5h → 3.0h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
1074.9h → 1186.7h
harder
30.3h → 32.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1990 to 2009, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1990 ($29,940), you'd need $49,167 in 2009 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (130.7 → 214.6).