1992 vs 2008
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+64.2%
Median Home
+89.1%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1992 Price | 2008 Price | Change | Hours 1992 | Hours 2008 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.86 | $1.99 | +131% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.75 | $1.37 | +82% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.13 | $3.27 | +190% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.54 | $2.34 | +52% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.87 | $1.21 | +39% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.92 | $3.66 | +91% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.58 | $4.21 | +63% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.12 | +40% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,349 | $6,185 | +163% | 159.5h | 255.8h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $17,109 | $27,291 | +60% | 1161.4h | 1128.5h | Easier |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $463 | $766 | +66% | 31.4h | 31.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.64 | $96.75 | +179% | 2.4h | 4.0h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1992 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.4h → 4.0h
harder
159.5h → 255.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
31.4h → 31.7h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1992 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
1161.4h → 1128.5h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1992 ($30,640), you'd need $47,006 in 2008 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (140.3 → 215.3).