1995 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+49.7%
Median Home
+83.1%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1995 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 1995 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.92 | $1.84 | +99% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.79 | $1.42 | +79% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.48 | $3.49 | +41% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.15 | $3.64 | +218% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $3.03 | +121% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.92 | $1.42 | +55% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.99 | $4.56 | +129% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $4.04 | $5.68 | +41% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.65 | $5.04 | +90% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.57 | $10.28 | +125% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +38% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,811 | $8,070 | +187% | 171.6h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $18,916 | $31,252 | +65% | 1154.5h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $497 | $820 | +65% | 30.3h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.93 | $109 | +212% | 2.1h | 4.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1995 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.1h → 4.4h
harder
171.6h → 329.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
1154.5h → 1274.1h
harder
30.3h → 33.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1995 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1995 ($34,080), you'd need $51,346 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (152.4 → 229.6).