1998 vs 2009
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+28.0%
Median Home
+41.9%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2009 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2009 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $1.66 | +60% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $1.39 | +61% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $3.11 | +15% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $2.35 | +122% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $2.22 | +57% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.28 | +22% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $3.61 | +42% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.77 | $3.67 | -3% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $4.32 | +38% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $10.07 | +99% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +46% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $6,695 | +107% | 172.7h | 279.7h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $28,400 | +37% | 1106.4h | 1186.7h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $784 | +45% | 29.0h | 32.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $70.76 | +121% | 1.7h | 3.0h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $7.18 | +50% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2009, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1.7h → 3.0h
harder
172.7h → 279.7h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
29.0h → 32.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
1106.4h → 1186.7h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1998 to 2009, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1998 ($38,890), you'd need $51,190 in 2009 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 214.6).