1998 vs 2020
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+74.9%
Median Home
+116.0%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2020 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2020 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $1.51 | +45% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $1.45 | +69% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $3.32 | +23% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $2.17 | +105% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $4.12 | +191% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.56 | +50% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $5.58 | +120% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.77 | $4.43 | +18% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $4.92 | +57% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $12.42 | +145% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +56% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $9,349 | +190% | 172.7h | 285.9h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $40,107 | +94% | 1106.4h | 1226.6h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $1,076 | +98% | 29.0h | 32.9h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $68.24 | +113% | 1.7h | 2.1h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $8.87 | +85% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2020, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
172.7h → 285.9h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
1.7h → 2.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
29.0h → 32.9h
harder
1106.4h → 1226.6h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1998 to 2020, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1998 ($38,890), you'd need $61,757 in 2020 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 258.9).