1990 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+70.4%
Median Home
+99.8%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1990 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 1990 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.01 | $1.84 | +81% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.69 | $1.42 | +104% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.16 | $3.64 | +213% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.59 | $3.03 | +91% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.42 | +58% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.12 | $4.56 | +114% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.97 | $5.68 | +91% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $5.04 | +94% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.13 | +55% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,908 | $8,070 | +323% | 132.6h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $15,472 | $31,252 | +102% | 1074.9h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $436 | $820 | +88% | 30.3h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $35.30 | $109 | +209% | 2.5h | 4.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1990 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
132.6h → 329.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.5h → 4.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
1074.9h → 1274.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
30.3h → 33.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1990 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
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 $52,609 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (130.7 → 229.6).