1998 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+82.0%
Median Home
+152.1%
Housing Labor
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $1.67 | +61% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $1.52 | +77% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $3.54 | +31% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $3.05 | +188% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $4.33 | +207% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.53 | +46% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $6.64 | +161% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.77 | $4.71 | +25% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $4.89 | +56% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $13.19 | +160% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +62% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $9,375 | +190% | 172.7h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $42,258 | +104% | 1106.4h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $1,100 | +103% | 29.0h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $92.47 | +188% | 1.7h | 2.7h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $9.12 | +91% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
172.7h → 275.5h
harder
1.7h → 2.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
1106.4h → 1241.8h
harder
29.0h → 32.3h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1998 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1998 ($38,890), you'd need $64,647 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 271.0).