1996 vs 2023
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+127.1%
Median Home
+204.1%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1996 Price | 2023 Price | Change | Hours 1996 | Hours 2023 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.11 | $2.80 | +153% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.88 | $1.96 | +124% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.62 | $4.03 | +54% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $3.66 | +197% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.37 | $5.02 | +267% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $0.97 | $1.91 | +97% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.47 | $6.65 | +169% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $6.16 | +79% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.86 | $5.90 | +106% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $4.93 | $13.40 | +172% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.17 | +79% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $2,975 | $10,209 | +243% | 174.4h | 263.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $19,828 | $47,936 | +142% | 1162.1h | 1236.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $510 | $1,259 | +147% | 29.9h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.05 | $109 | +194% | 2.2h | 2.8h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1996 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
174.4h → 263.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.2h → 2.8h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
29.9h → 32.5h
harder
1162.1h → 1236.9h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1996 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1996 ($35,490), you'd need $68,941 in 2023 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (156.9 → 304.7).