1994 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+95.8%
Median Home
+149.4%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1994 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 1994 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.86 | $1.74 | +102% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.76 | $1.29 | +69% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.11 | $2.74 | +146% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.48 | $3.72 | +152% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.50 | +66% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.99 | $5.47 | +175% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.40 | $4.30 | +26% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.63 | $4.74 | +80% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +48% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,681 | $9,212 | +244% | 172.9h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $18,657 | $37,577 | +101% | 1202.9h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $485 | $1,006 | +107% | 31.3h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.37 | $84.16 | +145% | 2.2h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1994 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
172.9h → 303.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 2.8h
harder
31.3h → 33.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1202.9h → 1237.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1994 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1994 ($32,260), you'd need $54,650 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (148.2 → 251.1).