1993 vs 2008
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+61.0%
Median Home
+81.5%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1993 Price | 2008 Price | Change | Hours 1993 | Hours 2008 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.91 | $1.99 | +118% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.75 | $1.37 | +82% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.11 | $3.27 | +195% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.57 | $2.34 | +49% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.89 | $1.21 | +36% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.93 | $3.66 | +90% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.53 | $4.21 | +66% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.12 | +35% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,537 | $6,185 | +144% | 168.9h | 255.8h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $17,677 | $27,291 | +54% | 1177.0h | 1128.5h | Easier |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $474 | $766 | +62% | 31.5h | 31.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.24 | $96.75 | +183% | 2.3h | 4.0h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1993 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.3h → 4.0h
harder
168.9h → 255.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
31.5h → 31.7h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1993 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
1177.0h → 1128.5h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1993 ($31,240), you'd need $46,545 in 2008 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (144.5 → 215.3).