1994 vs 2023
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+149.9%
Median Home
+227.0%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1994 Price | 2023 Price | Change | Hours 1994 | Hours 2023 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.86 | $2.80 | +224% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.76 | $1.96 | +158% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.11 | $3.66 | +229% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.48 | $5.02 | +240% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.90 | $1.91 | +112% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.99 | $6.65 | +234% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.40 | $6.16 | +81% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.63 | $5.90 | +125% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.17 | +83% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,681 | $10,209 | +281% | 172.9h | 263.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $18,657 | $47,936 | +157% | 1202.9h | 1236.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $485 | $1,259 | +159% | 31.3h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.37 | $109 | +217% | 2.2h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1994 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
172.9h → 263.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 2.8h
harder
31.3h → 32.5h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
1202.9h → 1236.9h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1994 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1994 ($32,260), you'd need $66,316 in 2023 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (148.2 → 304.7).