1997 vs 2013
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+44.8%
Median Home
+83.6%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1997 Price | 2013 Price | Change | Hours 1997 | Hours 2013 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.06 | $1.91 | +80% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.87 | $1.41 | +61% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.61 | $3.46 | +32% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $3.53 | +186% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.40 | $3.40 | +144% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.00 | $1.50 | +49% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.68 | $5.29 | +97% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $4.11 | $5.45 | +33% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.92 | $4.99 | +71% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.17 | $10.72 | +107% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +40% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,111 | $8,312 | +167% | 174.8h | 322.6h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,276 | $32,086 | +58% | 1139.5h | 1245.4h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $525 | $843 | +61% | 29.5h | 32.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.03 | $106 | +186% | 2.1h | 4.1h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.69 | $7.59 | +62% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1997 to 2013, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.1h → 4.1h
harder
174.8h → 322.6h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
29.5h → 32.7h
harder
1139.5h → 1245.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1997 to 2013, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1997 ($37,010), you'd need $53,708 in 2013 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (160.5 → 233.0).