1998 vs 2022
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+91.8%
Median Home
+185.0%
Housing Labor
1.5x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2022 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2022 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $2.86 | +175% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $1.70 | +98% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $4.09 | +51% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $4.09 | +286% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $4.81 | +241% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.80 | +73% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $7.31 | +187% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.77 | $5.89 | +56% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $5.43 | +74% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $13.48 | +166% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.16 | +83% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $9,750 | +202% | 172.7h | 271.9h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $48,008 | +132% | 1106.4h | 1338.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $1,166 | +115% | 29.0h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $121 | +278% | 1.7h | 3.4h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $9.67 | +102% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2022, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1.7h → 3.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
172.7h → 271.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
1106.4h → 1338.9h
harder
29.0h → 32.5h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1998 to 2022, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1998 ($38,890), you'd need $69,814 in 2022 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 292.6).