1996 vs 2011
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+41.0%
Median Home
+60.4%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1996 Price | 2011 Price | Change | Hours 1996 | Hours 2011 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.11 | $1.77 | +60% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.88 | $1.44 | +65% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.62 | $3.57 | +36% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $3.53 | +187% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $2.77 | +103% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.97 | $1.29 | +33% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.47 | $4.63 | +87% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $5.19 | +51% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.86 | $4.93 | +72% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.93 | $9.93 | +102% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +38% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,975 | $7,713 | +159% | 174.4h | 320.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $19,828 | $30,659 | +55% | 1162.1h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $510 | $799 | +57% | 29.9h | 33.2h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.05 | $105 | +185% | 2.2h | 4.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1996 to 2011, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 4.4h
harder
174.4h → 320.5h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
29.9h → 33.2h
harder
1162.1h → 1274.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1996 to 2011, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1996 ($35,490), you'd need $50,890 in 2011 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (156.9 → 224.9).