1998 vs 2004
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+14.0%
Median Home
+43.6%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2004 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2004 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $1.34 | +29% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $0.97 | +13% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $3.16 | +17% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $1.88 | +77% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $2.16 | +53% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.07 | +2% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $3.38 | +33% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.77 | $2.85 | -24% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $3.84 | +23% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $6.92 | +36% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.09 | +9% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $5,027 | +56% | 172.7h | 235.9h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $23,686 | +15% | 1106.4h | 1111.4h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $665 | +23% | 29.0h | 31.2h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $55.93 | +74% | 1.7h | 2.6h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $6.22 | +30% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2004, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1.7h → 2.6h
harder
172.7h → 235.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
29.0h → 31.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1106.4h → 1111.4h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1998 to 2004, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1998 ($38,890), you'd need $45,069 in 2004 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 188.9).