1997 vs 2014
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+45.0%
Median Home
+97.1%
Housing Labor
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1997 Price | 2014 Price | Change | Hours 1997 | Hours 2014 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.06 | $2.02 | +91% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.87 | $1.40 | +61% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.61 | $3.69 | +41% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $3.37 | +173% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.40 | $3.90 | +179% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.00 | $1.53 | +53% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.68 | $5.78 | +115% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $4.11 | $4.99 | +21% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.92 | $4.89 | +68% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.17 | $11.70 | +126% | 0.3h | 0.5h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +45% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,111 | $8,543 | +175% | 174.8h | 331.1h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,276 | $33,560 | +66% | 1139.5h | 1300.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $525 | $870 | +66% | 29.5h | 33.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.03 | $102 | +174% | 2.1h | 3.9h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.69 | $7.73 | +65% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1997 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
174.8h → 331.1h
harder
2.1h → 3.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.5h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
29.5h → 33.7h
harder
1139.5h → 1300.9h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1997 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1997 ($37,010), you'd need $54,576 in 2014 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (160.5 → 236.7).