1998 vs 2008
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+29.3%
Median Home
+51.1%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2008 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2008 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $1.99 | +91% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $1.37 | +59% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $3.80 | +40% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $3.27 | +208% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $2.34 | +66% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.21 | +16% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $3.66 | +44% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $4.21 | +35% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $9.45 | +86% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.12 | +42% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $6,185 | +92% | 172.7h | 255.8h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $27,291 | +32% | 1106.4h | 1128.5h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $766 | +41% | 29.0h | 31.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $96.75 | +202% | 1.7h | 4.0h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $7.07 | +48% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1.7h → 4.0h
harder
172.7h → 255.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
29.0h → 31.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
1106.4h → 1128.5h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1998 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1998 ($38,890), you'd need $51,355 in 2008 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 215.3).