1990 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$29,940
→
$63,180
+111.0%
Median Home
$122,300
→
$325,275
+166.0%
Housing Labor
4.1yr
→
5.1yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1990 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 1990 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.01 | $1.74 | +72% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.69 | $1.29 | +85% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.16 | $2.74 | +135% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.59 | $3.72 | +134% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.50 | +66% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.12 | $5.47 | +157% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.97 | $4.30 | +45% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.74 | +82% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +63% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,908 | $9,212 | +383% | 132.6h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $15,472 | $37,577 | +143% | 1074.9h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $436 | $1,006 | +131% | 30.3h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $35.30 | $84.16 | +138% | 2.5h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1990 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
132.6h → 303.3h
2.3x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1074.9h → 1237.1h
1.2x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.5h → 2.8h
1.1x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
30.3h → 33.1h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1990 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1990 ($29,940), you'd need $57,539 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (130.7 → 251.1).