1996 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$35,490
→
$70,780
+99.4%
Median Home
$140,250
→
$383,000
+173.1%
Housing Labor
4.0yr
→
5.4yr
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1996 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 1996 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.11 | $1.67 | +51% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.88 | $1.52 | +74% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.62 | $3.54 | +35% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $3.05 | +148% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $4.33 | +216% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.97 | $1.53 | +57% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.47 | $6.64 | +168% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.71 | +37% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.86 | $4.89 | +71% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.93 | $13.19 | +168% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +49% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,975 | $9,375 | +215% | 174.4h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $19,828 | $42,258 | +113% | 1162.1h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $510 | $1,100 | +116% | 29.9h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.05 | $92.47 | +150% | 2.2h | 2.7h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1996 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.6x
harder
🎓
College Tuition
174.4h → 275.5h
1.6x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.1h → 0.2h
1.3x
harder
🍬
Sugar
0.3h → 0.4h
1.3x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.2h → 2.7h
1.3x
harder
⛽
Gas
0.1h → 0.1h
1.2x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
29.9h → 32.3h
1.1x
harder
🚗
New Car
1162.1h → 1241.8h
1.1x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1996 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1996 ($35,490), you'd need $61,308 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (156.9 → 271.0).