1992 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$30,640
→
$63,180
+106.2%
Median Home
$121,375
→
$325,275
+168.0%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
5.1yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1992 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 1992 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.86 | $1.74 | +102% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.75 | $1.29 | +72% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.13 | $2.74 | +143% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.54 | $3.72 | +141% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.87 | $1.50 | +72% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.92 | $5.47 | +185% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.58 | $4.30 | +67% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.58 | $4.74 | +83% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +55% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,349 | $9,212 | +292% | 159.5h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $17,109 | $37,577 | +120% | 1161.4h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $463 | $1,006 | +117% | 31.4h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.64 | $84.16 | +143% | 2.4h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1992 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
159.5h → 303.3h
1.9x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.4x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.4h → 2.8h
1.2x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1161.4h → 1237.1h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.4h → 33.1h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1992 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1992 ($30,640), you'd need $54,834 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (140.3 → 251.1).