1996 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$35,490
→
$63,180
+78.0%
Median Home
$140,250
→
$325,275
+131.9%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
5.1yr
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1996 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 1996 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.11 | $1.74 | +57% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.88 | $1.29 | +47% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.62 | $2.90 | +10% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $2.74 | +122% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $3.72 | +171% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.97 | $1.50 | +54% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.47 | $5.47 | +121% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.30 | +25% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.86 | $4.74 | +66% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.93 | $12.46 | +153% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +45% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,975 | $9,212 | +210% | 174.4h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $19,828 | $37,577 | +90% | 1162.1h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $510 | $1,006 | +97% | 29.9h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.05 | $84.16 | +127% | 2.2h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1996 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
174.4h → 303.3h
1.7x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.5x
harder
🍬
Sugar
0.3h → 0.4h
1.4x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.2h → 2.8h
1.3x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.2x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
29.9h → 33.1h
1.1x
harder
🚗
New Car
1162.1h → 1237.1h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1996 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1996 ($35,490), you'd need $56,813 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (156.9 → 251.1).