1995 vs 2016
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+73.2%
Median Home
+128.6%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1995 Price | 2016 Price | Change | Hours 1995 | Hours 2016 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.92 | $1.68 | +82% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.79 | $1.37 | +73% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.48 | $3.20 | +29% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.15 | $2.14 | +87% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $3.75 | +174% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.92 | $1.46 | +60% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.99 | $5.42 | +173% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $4.04 | $4.39 | +9% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.65 | $4.76 | +79% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.57 | $12.33 | +170% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +44% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,811 | $8,804 | +213% | 171.6h | 310.2h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $18,916 | $35,309 | +87% | 1154.5h | 1243.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $497 | $935 | +88% | 30.3h | 32.9h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.93 | $65.64 | +88% | 2.1h | 2.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1995 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
171.6h → 310.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
30.3h → 32.9h
harder
2.1h → 2.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1154.5h → 1243.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1995 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1995 ($34,080), you'd need $53,676 in 2016 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (152.4 → 240.0).