1997 vs 2023
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+117.8%
Median Home
+194.2%
Housing Labor
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1997 Price | 2023 Price | Change | Hours 1997 | Hours 2023 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.06 | $2.80 | +164% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.87 | $1.96 | +125% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.61 | $4.03 | +54% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.23 | $3.66 | +197% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.40 | $5.02 | +259% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.00 | $1.91 | +91% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.68 | $6.65 | +148% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $4.11 | $6.16 | +50% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $2.92 | $5.90 | +102% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.17 | $13.40 | +159% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.17 | +78% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,111 | $10,209 | +228% | 174.8h | 263.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,276 | $47,936 | +136% | 1139.5h | 1236.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $525 | $1,259 | +140% | 29.5h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $37.03 | $109 | +195% | 2.1h | 2.8h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.69 | $10.23 | +118% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1997 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
174.8h → 263.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.1h → 2.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
29.5h → 32.5h
harder
1139.5h → 1236.9h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1997 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1997 ($37,010), you'd need $70,251 in 2023 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (160.5 → 304.7).