1993 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$31,240
→
$70,780
+126.6%
Median Home
$126,500
→
$383,000
+202.8%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
5.4yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1993 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 1993 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.91 | $1.67 | +84% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.75 | $1.52 | +103% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.11 | $3.05 | +175% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.57 | $4.33 | +176% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.89 | $1.53 | +71% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.93 | $6.64 | +244% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.47 | $4.71 | +90% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.53 | $4.89 | +93% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +54% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,537 | $9,375 | +270% | 168.9h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $17,677 | $42,258 | +139% | 1177.0h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $474 | $1,100 | +132% | 31.5h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.24 | $92.47 | +170% | 2.3h | 2.7h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1993 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
168.9h → 275.5h
1.6x
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
2.3h → 2.7h
1.2x
harder
🚗
New Car
1177.0h → 1241.8h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.5h → 32.3h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1993 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1993 ($31,240), you'd need $58,592 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (144.5 → 271.0).