1993 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$31,240
→
$63,180
+102.2%
Median Home
$126,500
→
$325,275
+157.1%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
5.1yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1993 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 1993 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.91 | $1.74 | +91% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.75 | $1.29 | +71% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.11 | $2.74 | +147% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.57 | $3.72 | +137% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.89 | $1.50 | +68% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.93 | $5.47 | +183% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.47 | $4.30 | +74% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.53 | $4.74 | +87% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +49% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,537 | $9,212 | +263% | 168.9h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $17,677 | $37,577 | +113% | 1177.0h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $474 | $1,006 | +112% | 31.5h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.24 | $84.16 | +146% | 2.3h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1993 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
168.9h → 303.3h
1.8x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.4x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.3h → 2.8h
1.2x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1177.0h → 1237.1h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.5h → 33.1h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1993 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1993 ($31,240), you'd need $54,296 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (144.5 → 251.1).