1992 vs 1996
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$30,640
→
$35,490
+15.8%
Median Home
$121,375
→
$140,250
+15.6%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
4.0yr
1.0x easier
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1992 Price | 1996 Price | Change | Hours 1992 | Hours 1996 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.86 | $1.11 | +29% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.75 | $0.88 | +17% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.13 | $1.23 | +9% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.54 | $1.37 | -11% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.87 | $0.97 | +12% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.92 | $2.47 | +29% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.58 | $3.43 | +33% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.58 | $2.86 | +11% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.09 | +7% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,349 | $2,975 | +27% | 159.5h | 174.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $17,109 | $19,828 | +16% | 1161.4h | 1162.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $463 | $510 | +10% | 31.4h | 29.9h | Easier |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.64 | $37.05 | +7% | 2.4h | 2.2h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1992 to 1996, sorted by magnitude.
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1992 to 1996, sorted by magnitude.
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
0.8x
easier
⚡
Electricity
0.0h → 0.0h
0.9x
easier
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.4h → 2.2h
0.9x
easier
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
0.9x
easier
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.4h → 29.9h
1.0x
easier
🍊
Oranges
0.2h → 0.2h
1.0x
easier
🐔
Chicken
0.1h → 0.1h
1.0x
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1992 ($30,640), you'd need $34,254 in 1996 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (140.3 → 156.9).