1990 vs 2017
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$29,940
→
$61,140
+104.2%
Median Home
$122,300
→
$322,425
+163.6%
Housing Labor
4.1yr
→
5.3yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1990 Price | 2017 Price | Change | Hours 1990 | Hours 2017 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.01 | $1.47 | +45% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.69 | $1.33 | +92% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.16 | $2.41 | +107% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.59 | $3.64 | +130% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.47 | +64% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.12 | $5.77 | +171% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.97 | $4.45 | +50% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.69 | +80% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +65% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,908 | $9,037 | +374% | 132.6h | 307.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $15,472 | $36,113 | +133% | 1074.9h | 1228.6h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $436 | $971 | +123% | 30.3h | 33.0h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $35.30 | $74.24 | +110% | 2.5h | 2.5h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1990 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
132.6h → 307.4h
2.3x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.3x
harder
🚗
New Car
1074.9h → 1228.6h
1.1x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
30.3h → 33.0h
1.1x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.5h → 2.5h
1.0x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1990 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1990 ($29,940), you'd need $56,169 in 2017 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (130.7 → 245.1).