1992 vs 2017
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$30,640
→
$61,140
+99.5%
Median Home
$121,375
→
$322,425
+165.6%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
5.3yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1992 Price | 2017 Price | Change | Hours 1992 | Hours 2017 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.86 | $1.47 | +71% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.75 | $1.33 | +78% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.13 | $2.41 | +114% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.54 | $3.64 | +136% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.87 | $1.47 | +69% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.92 | $5.77 | +201% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.58 | $4.45 | +73% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.58 | $4.69 | +82% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +56% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,349 | $9,037 | +285% | 159.5h | 307.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $17,109 | $36,113 | +111% | 1161.4h | 1228.6h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $463 | $971 | +110% | 31.4h | 33.0h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.64 | $74.24 | +114% | 2.4h | 2.5h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1992 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
159.5h → 307.4h
1.9x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.5x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.4h → 2.5h
1.1x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🚗
New Car
1161.4h → 1228.6h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.4h → 33.0h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1992 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1992 ($30,640), you'd need $53,529 in 2017 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (140.3 → 245.1).