1998 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+31.2%
Median Home
+60.9%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $1.84 | +77% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $1.42 | +65% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $3.49 | +29% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $3.64 | +244% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $3.03 | +115% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.42 | +36% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $4.56 | +79% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.77 | $5.68 | +51% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $5.04 | +61% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $10.28 | +103% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +49% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $8,070 | +150% | 172.7h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $31,252 | +51% | 1106.4h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $820 | +51% | 29.0h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $109 | +240% | 1.7h | 4.4h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $7.51 | +57% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1.7h → 4.4h
harder
172.7h → 329.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
29.0h → 33.4h
harder
1106.4h → 1274.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1998 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1998 ($38,890), you'd need $54,774 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 229.6).