1994 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$32,260
→
$70,780
+119.4%
Median Home
$130,425
→
$383,000
+193.7%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
5.4yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1994 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 1994 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.86 | $1.67 | +94% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.76 | $1.52 | +100% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.11 | $3.05 | +174% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.48 | $4.33 | +193% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.53 | +69% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.99 | $6.64 | +234% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.40 | $4.71 | +38% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.63 | $4.89 | +86% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +53% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,681 | $9,375 | +250% | 172.9h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $18,657 | $42,258 | +126% | 1202.9h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $485 | $1,100 | +127% | 31.3h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.37 | $92.47 | +169% | 2.2h | 2.7h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1994 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
172.9h → 275.5h
1.6x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.5x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.3x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.3x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.2h → 2.7h
1.2x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
31.3h → 32.3h
1.0x
harder
🚗
New Car
1202.9h → 1241.8h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1994 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1994 ($32,260), you'd need $58,974 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (148.2 → 271.0).