1991 vs 2019
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$30,130
→
$68,700
+128.0%
Median Home
$119,975
→
$320,250
+166.9%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
4.7yr
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1991 Price | 2019 Price | Change | Hours 1991 | Hours 2019 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.99 | $1.40 | +41% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.71 | $1.30 | +83% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.14 | $2.64 | +131% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.60 | $3.81 | +139% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.88 | $1.50 | +70% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.22 | $5.61 | +153% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.81 | $4.14 | +47% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.58 | $4.81 | +87% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +57% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,107 | $9,349 | +344% | 145.5h | 283.1h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $16,362 | $38,723 | +137% | 1129.5h | 1172.4h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $451 | $1,043 | +131% | 31.2h | 31.6h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.74 | $81.15 | +134% | 2.4h | 2.5h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1991 to 2019, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
145.5h → 283.1h
1.9x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.2h → 0.2h
1.1x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.0x
harder
🚗
New Car
1129.5h → 1172.4h
1.0x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.4h → 2.5h
1.0x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.0x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.2h → 31.6h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1991 to 2019, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1991 ($30,130), you'd need $56,569 in 2019 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (136.2 → 255.7).