1991 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$30,130
→
$63,180
+109.7%
Median Home
$119,975
→
$325,275
+171.1%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
5.1yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1991 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 1991 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.99 | $1.74 | +76% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.71 | $1.29 | +81% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.14 | $2.74 | +140% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.60 | $3.72 | +133% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.88 | $1.50 | +70% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.22 | $5.47 | +146% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.81 | $4.30 | +53% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.58 | $4.74 | +84% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +57% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,107 | $9,212 | +337% | 145.5h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $16,362 | $37,577 | +130% | 1129.5h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $451 | $1,006 | +123% | 31.2h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.74 | $84.16 | +142% | 2.4h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1991 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
145.5h → 303.3h
2.1x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.2h → 0.2h
1.2x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.4h → 2.8h
1.2x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🚗
New Car
1129.5h → 1237.1h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.2h → 33.1h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1991 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1991 ($30,130), you'd need $55,562 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (136.2 → 251.1).