1997 vs 2008
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+35.9%
Median Home
+58.3%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1997 Price | 2008 Price | Change | Hours 1997 | Hours 2008 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.06 | $1.99 | +88% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.87 | $1.37 | +57% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.61 | $3.80 | +45% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $3.27 | +165% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.40 | $2.34 | +68% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.00 | $1.21 | +20% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.68 | $3.66 | +37% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.92 | $4.21 | +44% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.17 | $9.45 | +83% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.12 | +31% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,111 | $6,185 | +99% | 174.8h | 255.8h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,276 | $27,291 | +35% | 1139.5h | 1128.5h | Easier |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $525 | $766 | +46% | 29.5h | 31.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.03 | $96.75 | +161% | 2.1h | 4.0h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.69 | $7.07 | +51% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1997 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.1h → 4.0h
harder
174.8h → 255.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
29.5h → 31.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1997 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
1139.5h → 1128.5h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1997 ($37,010), you'd need $49,628 in 2008 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (160.5 → 215.3).