1997 vs 2020
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
$37,010
→
$68,010
+83.8%
Median Home
$145,000
→
$328,150
+126.3%
Housing Labor
3.9yr
→
4.8yr
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1997 Price | 2020 Price | Change | Hours 1997 | Hours 2020 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.06 | $1.51 | +42% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.87 | $1.45 | +66% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.61 | $3.32 | +27% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $2.17 | +76% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.40 | $4.12 | +195% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.00 | $1.56 | +56% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.68 | $5.58 | +108% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $4.11 | $4.43 | +8% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.92 | $4.92 | +69% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.17 | $12.42 | +140% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +43% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,111 | $9,349 | +201% | 174.8h | 285.9h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,276 | $40,107 | +98% | 1139.5h | 1226.6h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $525 | $1,076 | +105% | 29.5h | 32.9h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.03 | $68.24 | +84% | 2.1h | 2.1h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.69 | $8.87 | +89% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1997 to 2020, sorted by magnitude.
🎓
College Tuition
174.8h → 285.9h
1.6x
harder
🥩
Ground Beef
0.1h → 0.1h
1.6x
harder
🍬
Sugar
0.3h → 0.4h
1.3x
harder
🥓
Bacon
0.2h → 0.2h
1.1x
harder
🏠
Monthly Rent
29.5h → 32.9h
1.1x
harder
🚗
New Car
1139.5h → 1226.6h
1.1x
harder
🎬
Movie Ticket
0.3h → 0.3h
1.0x
harder
🏥
Doctor Visit
2.1h → 2.1h
1.0x
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1997 to 2020, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1997 ($37,010), you'd need $59,681 in 2020 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (160.5 → 258.9).