1996 vs 2022
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+110.1%
Median Home
+208.7%
Housing Labor
1.5x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1996 Price | 2022 Price | Change | Hours 1996 | Hours 2022 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.11 | $2.86 | +158% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.88 | $1.70 | +94% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.62 | $4.09 | +56% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $4.09 | +233% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $4.81 | +251% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.97 | $1.80 | +85% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.47 | $7.31 | +195% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $5.89 | +72% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.86 | $5.43 | +90% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.93 | $13.48 | +174% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.16 | +68% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,975 | $9,750 | +228% | 174.4h | 271.9h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $19,828 | $48,008 | +142% | 1162.1h | 1338.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $510 | $1,166 | +129% | 29.9h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.05 | $121 | +228% | 2.2h | 3.4h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1996 to 2022, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
174.4h → 271.9h
harder
2.2h → 3.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1162.1h → 1338.9h
harder
29.9h → 32.5h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1996 to 2022, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1996 ($35,490), you'd need $66,208 in 2022 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (156.9 → 292.6).