1998 vs 2003
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+11.4%
Median Home
+26.5%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2003 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2003 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $1.24 | +20% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $1.00 | +16% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $2.76 | +2% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $1.59 | +50% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $1.95 | +38% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.03 | -1% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $3.20 | +26% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.77 | $2.92 | -23% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $3.81 | +22% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $6.39 | +26% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.09 | +7% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $4,587 | +42% | 172.7h | 220.2h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $23,282 | +13% | 1106.4h | 1117.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $647 | +19% | 29.0h | 31.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $47.43 | +48% | 1.7h | 2.3h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $6.03 | +26% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2003, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1.7h → 2.3h
harder
172.7h → 220.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
29.0h → 31.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
1106.4h → 1117.9h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1998 to 2003, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1998 ($38,890), you'd need $43,898 in 2003 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 184.0).