1998 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+62.5%
Median Home
+114.1%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $1.74 | +68% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $1.29 | +50% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $2.90 | +7% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $2.74 | +158% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $3.72 | +163% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.50 | +43% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $5.47 | +115% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.77 | $4.30 | +14% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $4.74 | +52% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $12.46 | +146% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +57% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $9,212 | +185% | 172.7h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $37,577 | +82% | 1106.4h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $1,006 | +86% | 29.0h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $84.16 | +162% | 1.7h | 2.8h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $8.57 | +79% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
172.7h → 303.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1.7h → 2.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
29.0h → 33.1h
harder
1106.4h → 1237.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1998 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1998 ($38,890), you'd need $59,907 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 251.1).