1996 vs 2015
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+59.3%
Median Home
+109.7%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1996 Price | 2015 Price | Change | Hours 1996 | Hours 2015 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.11 | $2.47 | +123% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.88 | $1.44 | +65% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.62 | $3.42 | +30% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $2.45 | +99% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $4.17 | +204% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.97 | $1.49 | +53% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.47 | $5.45 | +121% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.72 | +38% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.86 | $4.74 | +66% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.93 | $12.25 | +149% | 0.3h | 0.5h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +47% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,975 | $8,778 | +195% | 174.4h | 323.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $19,828 | $34,428 | +74% | 1162.1h | 1267.0h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $510 | $901 | +77% | 29.9h | 33.2h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.05 | $74.01 | +100% | 2.2h | 2.7h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1996 to 2015, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
174.4h → 323.0h
harder
0.3h → 0.5h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
2.2h → 2.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
29.9h → 33.2h
harder
1162.1h → 1267.0h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1996 to 2015, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1996 ($35,490), you'd need $53,623 in 2015 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (156.9 → 237.0).