1995 vs 2023
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+136.5%
Median Home
+219.6%
Housing Labor
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1995 Price | 2023 Price | Change | Hours 1995 | Hours 2023 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.92 | $2.80 | +202% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.79 | $1.96 | +148% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.48 | $4.03 | +62% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.15 | $3.66 | +219% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $5.02 | +267% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.92 | $1.91 | +109% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $1.99 | $6.65 | +235% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $4.04 | $6.16 | +52% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.65 | $5.90 | +122% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.57 | $13.40 | +193% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.17 | +80% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,811 | $10,209 | +263% | 171.6h | 263.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $18,916 | $47,936 | +153% | 1154.5h | 1236.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $497 | $1,259 | +153% | 30.3h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $34.93 | $109 | +212% | 2.1h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1995 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
171.6h → 263.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.1h → 2.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
1154.5h → 1236.9h
harder
30.3h → 32.5h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1995 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
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 1995 ($34,080), you'd need $68,146 in 2023 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (152.4 → 304.7).