1996 vs 2010
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+38.9%
Median Home
+58.8%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1996 Price | 2010 Price | Change | Hours 1996 | Hours 2010 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.11 | $1.66 | +50% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.88 | $1.37 | +57% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.62 | $3.26 | +24% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $2.79 | +126% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $2.37 | +73% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.97 | $1.26 | +30% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.47 | $4.11 | +66% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $3.91 | +14% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.86 | $4.46 | +56% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.93 | $9.65 | +96% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +36% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,975 | $7,136 | +140% | 174.4h | 301.2h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $19,828 | $29,217 | +47% | 1162.1h | 1233.2h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $510 | $786 | +54% | 29.9h | 33.2h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.05 | $83.69 | +126% | 2.2h | 3.5h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1996 to 2010, sorted by magnitude.
174.4h → 301.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 3.5h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
29.9h → 33.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1162.1h → 1233.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1996 to 2010, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1996 ($35,490), you'd need $49,341 in 2010 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (156.9 → 218.1).