1994 vs 2017
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$32,260
→
$61,140
+89.5%
Median Home
$130,425
→
$322,425
+147.2%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
5.3yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1994 Price | 2017 Price | Change | Hours 1994 | Hours 2017 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.86 | $1.47 | +70% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.76 | $1.33 | +75% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.11 | $2.41 | +117% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.48 | $3.64 | +147% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.47 | +63% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.99 | $5.77 | +190% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.40 | $4.45 | +31% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.63 | $4.69 | +79% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +50% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,681 | $9,037 | +237% | 172.9h | 307.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $18,657 | $36,113 | +94% | 1202.9h | 1228.6h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $485 | $971 | +100% | 31.3h | 33.0h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.37 | $74.24 | +116% | 2.2h | 2.5h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1994 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
172.9h → 307.4h
1.8x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.5x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.3x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.2h → 2.5h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.3h → 33.0h
1.1x
harder
🚗
New Car
1202.9h → 1228.6h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1994 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1994 ($32,260), you'd need $53,349 in 2017 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (148.2 → 245.1).