1992 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$30,640
→
$70,780
+131.0%
Median Home
$121,375
→
$383,000
+215.6%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
5.4yr
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1992 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 1992 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.86 | $1.67 | +95% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.75 | $1.52 | +103% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.13 | $3.05 | +171% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.54 | $4.33 | +181% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.87 | $1.53 | +76% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.92 | $6.64 | +247% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.58 | $4.71 | +83% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.58 | $4.89 | +89% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +60% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,349 | $9,375 | +299% | 159.5h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $17,109 | $42,258 | +147% | 1161.4h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $463 | $1,100 | +138% | 31.4h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.64 | $92.47 | +167% | 2.4h | 2.7h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1992 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
159.5h → 275.5h
1.7x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.5x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.4h → 2.7h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1161.4h → 1241.8h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.4h → 32.3h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1992 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1992 ($30,640), you'd need $59,173 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (140.3 → 271.0).