1997 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+70.7%
Median Home
+124.3%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1997 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 1997 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.06 | $1.74 | +65% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.87 | $1.29 | +47% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.61 | $2.90 | +11% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $2.74 | +122% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.40 | $3.72 | +166% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.00 | $1.50 | +49% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.68 | $5.47 | +104% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $4.11 | $4.30 | +5% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.92 | $4.74 | +62% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.17 | $12.46 | +141% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +44% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,111 | $9,212 | +196% | 174.8h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,276 | $37,577 | +85% | 1139.5h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $525 | $1,006 | +92% | 29.5h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.03 | $84.16 | +127% | 2.1h | 2.8h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.69 | $8.57 | +83% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1997 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
174.8h → 303.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
2.1h → 2.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
29.5h → 33.1h
harder
1139.5h → 1237.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1997 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1997 ($37,010), you'd need $57,892 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (160.5 → 251.1).