1998 vs 2017
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+57.2%
Median Home
+112.2%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2017 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2017 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $1.47 | +41% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $1.33 | +55% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $3.23 | +19% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $2.41 | +127% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $3.64 | +158% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.47 | +41% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $5.77 | +127% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.77 | $4.45 | +18% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $4.69 | +50% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $12.66 | +150% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +59% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $9,037 | +180% | 172.7h | 307.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $36,113 | +75% | 1106.4h | 1228.6h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $971 | +79% | 29.0h | 33.0h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $74.24 | +131% | 1.7h | 2.5h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $8.40 | +75% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
172.7h → 307.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
1.7h → 2.5h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
29.0h → 33.0h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
1106.4h → 1228.6h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1998 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1998 ($38,890), you'd need $58,480 in 2017 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 245.1).