1990 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$29,940
→
$70,780
+136.4%
Median Home
$122,300
→
$383,000
+213.2%
Housing Labor
4.1yr
→
5.4yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1990 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 1990 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.01 | $1.67 | +65% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.69 | $1.52 | +119% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.16 | $3.05 | +162% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.59 | $4.33 | +173% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.53 | +70% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.12 | $6.64 | +212% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.97 | $4.71 | +59% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $4.89 | +88% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.14 | +68% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,908 | $9,375 | +391% | 132.6h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $15,472 | $42,258 | +173% | 1074.9h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $436 | $1,100 | +152% | 30.3h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $35.30 | $92.47 | +162% | 2.5h | 2.7h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1990 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
132.6h → 275.5h
2.1x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.3x
harder
🚗
New Car
1074.9h → 1241.8h
1.2x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.5h → 2.7h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
30.3h → 32.3h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1990 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1990 ($29,940), you'd need $62,092 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (130.7 → 271.0).