1994 vs 2019
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$32,260
→
$68,700
+113.0%
Median Home
$130,425
→
$320,250
+145.5%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
4.7yr
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1994 Price | 2019 Price | Change | Hours 1994 | Hours 2019 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.86 | $1.40 | +62% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.76 | $1.30 | +71% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.11 | $2.64 | +137% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.48 | $3.81 | +158% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.50 | +66% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.99 | $5.61 | +182% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.40 | $4.14 | +22% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.63 | $4.81 | +83% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +48% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,681 | $9,349 | +249% | 172.9h | 283.1h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $18,657 | $38,723 | +108% | 1202.9h | 1172.4h | Easier |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $485 | $1,043 | +115% | 31.3h | 31.6h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.37 | $81.15 | +136% | 2.2h | 2.5h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1994 to 2019, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
172.9h → 283.1h
1.6x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.3x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.1x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.2h → 2.5h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.3h → 31.6h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1994 to 2019, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1994 ($32,260), you'd need $55,641 in 2019 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (148.2 → 255.7).