1992 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+66.5%
Median Home
+101.4%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1992 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 1992 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.86 | $1.84 | +114% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.75 | $1.42 | +89% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.13 | $3.64 | +223% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.54 | $3.03 | +97% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.87 | $1.42 | +64% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.92 | $4.56 | +138% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.58 | $5.68 | +120% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.58 | $5.04 | +95% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +47% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,349 | $8,070 | +244% | 159.5h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $17,109 | $31,252 | +83% | 1161.4h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $463 | $820 | +77% | 31.4h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.64 | $109 | +215% | 2.4h | 4.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1992 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
159.5h → 329.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.4h → 4.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1161.4h → 1274.1h
harder
31.4h → 33.4h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1992 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1992 ($30,640), you'd need $50,136 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (140.3 → 229.6).