1995 vs 2005
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$34,080
→
$46,330
+35.9%
Median Home
$133,475
→
$236,550
+77.2%
Housing Labor
3.9yr
→
5.1yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1995 Price | 2005 Price | Change | Hours 1995 | Hours 2005 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.92 | $1.22 | +32% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.79 | $1.04 | +31% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.48 | $3.19 | +28% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.15 | $2.30 | +100% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $2.30 | +68% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.92 | $1.06 | +15% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.99 | $3.39 | +71% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $4.04 | $3.26 | -19% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.65 | $3.74 | +41% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.57 | $7.77 | +70% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.10 | +7% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,811 | $5,351 | +90% | 171.6h | 240.2h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $18,916 | $25,164 | +33% | 1154.5h | 1129.7h | Easier |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $497 | $685 | +38% | 30.3h | 30.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.93 | $68.19 | +95% | 2.1h | 3.1h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1995 to 2005, sorted by magnitude.
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.5x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.1h → 3.1h
1.4x
harder
🎓
College Tuition
171.6h → 240.2h
1.4x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.3x
harder
🍬
Sugar
0.3h → 0.3h
1.3x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🍊
Oranges
0.2h → 0.2h
1.0x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
30.3h → 30.7h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1995 to 2005, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1995 ($34,080), you'd need $43,671 in 2005 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (152.4 → 195.3).