1998 vs 2015
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+45.3%
Median Home
+93.6%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2015 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2015 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $2.47 | +138% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $1.44 | +68% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $3.42 | +26% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $2.45 | +131% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $4.17 | +195% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.49 | +43% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $5.45 | +114% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.77 | $4.72 | +25% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $4.74 | +52% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $12.25 | +142% | 0.3h | 0.5h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +59% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $8,778 | +172% | 172.7h | 323.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $34,428 | +66% | 1106.4h | 1267.0h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $901 | +66% | 29.0h | 33.2h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $74.01 | +131% | 1.7h | 2.7h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $7.90 | +65% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2015, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
172.7h → 323.0h
harder
0.3h → 0.5h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1.7h → 2.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
1106.4h → 1267.0h
harder
29.0h → 33.2h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1998 to 2015, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1998 ($38,890), you'd need $56,543 in 2015 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 237.0).