1990 vs 2022
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+149.1%
Median Home
+254.0%
Housing Labor
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1990 Price | 2022 Price | Change | Hours 1990 | Hours 2022 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.01 | $2.86 | +182% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.69 | $1.70 | +145% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.16 | $4.09 | +252% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.59 | $4.81 | +203% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.80 | +100% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.12 | $7.31 | +244% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.97 | $5.89 | +99% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.60 | $5.43 | +108% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.08 | $0.16 | +89% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $1,908 | $9,750 | +411% | 132.6h | 271.9h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $15,472 | $48,008 | +210% | 1074.9h | 1338.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $436 | $1,166 | +167% | 30.3h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $35.30 | $121 | +244% | 2.5h | 3.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1990 to 2022, sorted by magnitude.
132.6h → 271.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.5h → 3.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
1074.9h → 1338.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
30.3h → 32.5h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1990 to 2022, sorted by magnitude.
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1990 ($29,940), you'd need $67,054 in 2022 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (130.7 → 292.6).