1993 vs 2016
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$31,240
→
$59,040
+89.0%
Median Home
$126,500
→
$305,125
+141.2%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
5.2yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1993 Price | 2016 Price | Change | Hours 1993 | Hours 2016 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.91 | $1.68 | +85% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.75 | $1.37 | +82% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.11 | $2.14 | +93% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.57 | $3.75 | +139% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.89 | $1.46 | +64% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.93 | $5.42 | +181% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.47 | $4.39 | +78% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.53 | $4.76 | +88% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +48% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,537 | $8,804 | +247% | 168.9h | 310.2h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $17,677 | $35,309 | +100% | 1177.0h | 1243.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $474 | $935 | +97% | 31.5h | 32.9h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.24 | $65.64 | +92% | 2.3h | 2.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1993 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
168.9h → 310.2h
1.8x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.5x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.3x
harder
🚗
New Car
1177.0h → 1243.9h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.5h → 32.9h
1.0x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.0x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.3h → 2.3h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1993 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1993 ($31,240), you'd need $51,897 in 2016 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (144.5 → 240.0).