1998 vs 2014
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+38.0%
Median Home
+88.1%
Housing Labor
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2014 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2014 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $2.02 | +95% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $1.40 | +63% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $3.69 | +37% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $3.37 | +218% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $3.90 | +176% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.53 | +47% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $5.78 | +127% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.77 | $4.99 | +33% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $4.89 | +56% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $11.70 | +131% | 0.3h | 0.5h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +58% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $8,543 | +165% | 172.7h | 331.1h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $33,560 | +62% | 1106.4h | 1300.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $870 | +60% | 29.0h | 33.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $102 | +217% | 1.7h | 3.9h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $7.73 | +61% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1.7h → 3.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
172.7h → 331.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.5h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
1106.4h → 1300.9h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
29.0h → 33.7h
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 2014, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1998 ($38,890), you'd need $56,475 in 2014 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 236.7).