1991 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$30,130
→
$70,780
+134.9%
Median Home
$119,975
→
$383,000
+219.2%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
5.4yr
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1991 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 1991 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.99 | $1.67 | +69% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.71 | $1.52 | +115% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.14 | $3.05 | +168% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.60 | $4.33 | +171% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.88 | $1.53 | +73% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.22 | $6.64 | +199% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.81 | $4.71 | +68% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.58 | $4.89 | +90% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +62% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,107 | $9,375 | +345% | 145.5h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $16,362 | $42,258 | +158% | 1129.5h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $451 | $1,100 | +144% | 31.2h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.74 | $92.47 | +166% | 2.4h | 2.7h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1991 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
145.5h → 275.5h
1.9x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.2h → 0.2h
1.3x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.4h → 2.7h
1.1x
harder
🚗
New Car
1129.5h → 1241.8h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.2h → 32.3h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1991 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1991 ($30,130), you'd need $59,958 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (136.2 → 271.0).