1990 vs 2010
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+64.6%
Median Home
+82.1%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1990 Price | 2010 Price | Change | Hours 1990 | Hours 2010 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.01 | $1.66 | +64% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.69 | $1.37 | +98% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.16 | $2.79 | +139% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.59 | $2.37 | +49% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.26 | +40% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.12 | $4.11 | +93% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.97 | $3.91 | +32% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.46 | +71% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.13 | +53% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,908 | $7,136 | +274% | 132.6h | 301.2h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $15,472 | $29,217 | +89% | 1074.9h | 1233.2h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $436 | $786 | +80% | 30.3h | 33.2h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $35.30 | $83.69 | +137% | 2.5h | 3.5h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1990 to 2010, sorted by magnitude.
132.6h → 301.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.5h → 3.5h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
1074.9h → 1233.2h
harder
30.3h → 33.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1990 to 2010, 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
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1990 ($29,940), you'd need $49,972 in 2010 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (130.7 → 218.1).