1996 vs 2014
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+51.2%
Median Home
+103.8%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1996 Price | 2014 Price | Change | Hours 1996 | Hours 2014 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.11 | $2.02 | +82% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.88 | $1.40 | +60% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.62 | $3.69 | +41% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $3.37 | +174% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $3.90 | +185% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.97 | $1.53 | +58% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.47 | $5.78 | +134% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.99 | +45% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.86 | $4.89 | +71% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.93 | $11.70 | +138% | 0.3h | 0.5h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +46% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,975 | $8,543 | +187% | 174.4h | 331.1h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $19,828 | $33,560 | +69% | 1162.1h | 1300.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $510 | $870 | +71% | 29.9h | 33.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.05 | $102 | +174% | 2.2h | 3.9h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1996 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
174.4h → 331.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
2.2h → 3.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.5h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
29.9h → 33.7h
harder
1162.1h → 1300.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1996 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1996 ($35,490), you'd need $53,558 in 2014 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (156.9 → 236.7).