1998 vs 2001
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+8.6%
Median Home
+13.9%
Housing Labor
1.0x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2001 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2001 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $0.93 | -10% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $1.00 | +16% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $2.88 | +7% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $1.46 | +38% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $1.71 | +21% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.11 | +6% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $3.25 | +28% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.77 | $3.09 | -18% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $3.70 | +18% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $5.96 | +18% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.09 | +6% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $3,735 | +16% | 172.7h | 184.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $22,457 | +9% | 1106.4h | 1106.1h | Easier |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $605 | +12% | 29.0h | 29.8h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $43.32 | +35% | 1.7h | 2.1h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $5.56 | +16% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2001, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1.7h → 2.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
172.7h → 184.0h
harder
29.0h → 29.8h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1998 to 2001, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1998 ($38,890), you'd need $42,238 in 2001 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 177.0).