1996 vs 2016
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+66.4%
Median Home
+117.6%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1996 Price | 2016 Price | Change | Hours 1996 | Hours 2016 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.11 | $1.68 | +52% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.88 | $1.37 | +57% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.62 | $3.20 | +22% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $2.14 | +74% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $3.75 | +174% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.97 | $1.46 | +50% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.47 | $5.42 | +119% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.39 | +28% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.86 | $4.76 | +66% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.93 | $12.33 | +150% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +44% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,975 | $8,804 | +196% | 174.4h | 310.2h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $19,828 | $35,309 | +78% | 1162.1h | 1243.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $510 | $935 | +83% | 29.9h | 32.9h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.05 | $65.64 | +77% | 2.2h | 2.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1996 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
174.4h → 310.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
29.9h → 32.9h
harder
1162.1h → 1243.9h
harder
2.2h → 2.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1996 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1996 ($35,490), you'd need $54,302 in 2016 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (156.9 → 240.0).