1990 vs 2019
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$29,940
→
$68,700
+129.5%
Median Home
$122,300
→
$320,250
+161.9%
Housing Labor
4.1yr
→
4.7yr
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1990 Price | 2019 Price | Change | Hours 1990 | Hours 2019 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.01 | $1.40 | +38% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.69 | $1.30 | +87% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.16 | $2.64 | +126% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.59 | $3.81 | +140% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.50 | +66% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.12 | $5.61 | +164% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.97 | $4.14 | +40% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.81 | +85% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +63% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,908 | $9,349 | +390% | 132.6h | 283.1h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $15,472 | $38,723 | +150% | 1074.9h | 1172.4h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $436 | $1,043 | +139% | 30.3h | 31.6h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $35.30 | $81.15 | +130% | 2.5h | 2.5h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1990 to 2019, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
132.6h → 283.1h
2.1x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1074.9h → 1172.4h
1.1x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.0x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
30.3h → 31.6h
1.0x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.5h → 2.5h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1990 to 2019, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1990 ($29,940), you'd need $58,582 in 2019 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (130.7 → 255.7).