1997 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+37.9%
Median Home
+68.6%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1997 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 1997 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.06 | $1.84 | +74% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.87 | $1.42 | +63% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.61 | $3.49 | +34% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $3.64 | +195% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.40 | $3.03 | +117% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.00 | $1.42 | +42% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.68 | $4.56 | +70% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $4.11 | $5.68 | +38% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.92 | $5.04 | +73% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.17 | $10.28 | +99% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +37% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,111 | $8,070 | +159% | 174.8h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,276 | $31,252 | +54% | 1139.5h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $525 | $820 | +56% | 29.5h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.03 | $109 | +194% | 2.1h | 4.4h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.69 | $7.51 | +60% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1997 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.1h → 4.4h
harder
174.8h → 329.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
29.5h → 33.4h
harder
1139.5h → 1274.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1997 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1997 ($37,010), you'd need $52,932 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (160.5 → 229.6).