1997 vs 2011
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+35.2%
Median Home
+55.1%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1997 Price | 2011 Price | Change | Hours 1997 | Hours 2011 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.06 | $1.77 | +67% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.87 | $1.44 | +66% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.61 | $3.57 | +37% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $3.53 | +186% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.40 | $2.77 | +99% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.00 | $1.29 | +29% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.68 | $4.63 | +73% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $4.11 | $5.19 | +26% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.92 | $4.93 | +69% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.17 | $9.93 | +92% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +38% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,111 | $7,713 | +148% | 174.8h | 320.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,276 | $30,659 | +51% | 1139.5h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $525 | $799 | +52% | 29.5h | 33.2h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.03 | $105 | +185% | 2.1h | 4.4h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.69 | $7.36 | +57% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1997 to 2011, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.1h → 4.4h
harder
174.8h → 320.5h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
29.5h → 33.2h
harder
1139.5h → 1274.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1997 to 2011, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1997 ($37,010), you'd need $51,857 in 2011 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (160.5 → 224.9).