1998 vs 2013
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+37.8%
Median Home
+75.2%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2013 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2013 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $1.91 | +84% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $1.41 | +64% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $3.46 | +28% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $3.53 | +233% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $3.40 | +141% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.50 | +43% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $5.29 | +108% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.77 | $5.45 | +45% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $4.99 | +60% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $10.72 | +111% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +52% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $8,312 | +157% | 172.7h | 322.6h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $32,086 | +55% | 1106.4h | 1245.4h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $843 | +56% | 29.0h | 32.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $106 | +230% | 1.7h | 4.1h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $7.59 | +59% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2013, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1.7h → 4.1h
harder
172.7h → 322.6h
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 → 32.7h
harder
1106.4h → 1245.4h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1998 to 2013, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1998 ($38,890), you'd need $55,577 in 2013 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 233.0).