1994 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+58.2%
Median Home
+87.4%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1994 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 1994 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.86 | $1.84 | +113% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.76 | $1.42 | +86% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.11 | $3.64 | +228% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.48 | $3.03 | +105% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.42 | +58% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.99 | $4.56 | +129% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.40 | $5.68 | +67% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.63 | $5.04 | +92% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +41% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,681 | $8,070 | +201% | 172.9h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $18,657 | $31,252 | +68% | 1202.9h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $485 | $820 | +69% | 31.3h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.37 | $109 | +217% | 2.2h | 4.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1994 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 4.4h
harder
172.9h → 329.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
31.3h → 33.4h
harder
1202.9h → 1274.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1994 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1994 ($32,260), you'd need $49,968 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (148.2 → 229.6).