1990 vs 2016
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+97.2%
Median Home
+149.5%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1990 Price | 2016 Price | Change | Hours 1990 | Hours 2016 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.01 | $1.68 | +66% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.69 | $1.37 | +97% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.16 | $2.14 | +84% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.59 | $3.75 | +136% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.46 | +63% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.12 | $5.42 | +155% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.97 | $4.39 | +48% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.76 | +83% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +62% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,908 | $8,804 | +361% | 132.6h | 310.2h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $15,472 | $35,309 | +128% | 1074.9h | 1243.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $436 | $935 | +114% | 30.3h | 32.9h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $35.30 | $65.64 | +86% | 2.5h | 2.3h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1990 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
132.6h → 310.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1074.9h → 1243.9h
harder
30.3h → 32.9h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1990 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
2.5h → 2.3h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1990 ($29,940), you'd need $54,997 in 2016 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (130.7 → 240.0).