1995 vs 2008
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+47.6%
Median Home
+72.0%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1995 Price | 2008 Price | Change | Hours 1995 | Hours 2008 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.92 | $1.99 | +115% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.79 | $1.37 | +73% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.48 | $3.80 | +53% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.15 | $3.27 | +185% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $2.34 | +71% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.92 | $1.21 | +32% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.99 | $3.66 | +84% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.65 | $4.21 | +59% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.57 | $9.45 | +107% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.12 | +32% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,811 | $6,185 | +120% | 171.6h | 255.8h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $18,916 | $27,291 | +44% | 1154.5h | 1128.5h | Easier |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $497 | $766 | +54% | 30.3h | 31.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.93 | $96.75 | +177% | 2.1h | 4.0h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1995 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.1h → 4.0h
harder
171.6h → 255.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
30.3h → 31.7h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1995 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
1154.5h → 1128.5h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1995 ($34,080), you'd need $48,141 in 2008 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (152.4 → 215.3).