1996 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+43.8%
Median Home
+74.3%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1996 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 1996 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.11 | $1.84 | +66% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.88 | $1.42 | +62% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.62 | $3.49 | +33% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $3.64 | +196% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $3.03 | +121% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.97 | $1.42 | +46% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.47 | $4.56 | +84% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $5.68 | +65% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.86 | $5.04 | +76% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.93 | $10.28 | +109% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +38% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,975 | $8,070 | +171% | 174.4h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $19,828 | $31,252 | +58% | 1162.1h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $510 | $820 | +61% | 29.9h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.05 | $109 | +194% | 2.2h | 4.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1996 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 4.4h
harder
174.4h → 329.0h
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
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
29.9h → 33.4h
harder
1162.1h → 1274.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1996 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
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 $51,945 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (156.9 → 229.6).