1998 vs 2023
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+107.3%
Median Home
+180.7%
Housing Labor
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1998 Price | 2023 Price | Change | Hours 1998 | Hours 2023 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.04 | $2.80 | +170% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.86 | $1.96 | +128% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.70 | $4.03 | +49% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.06 | $3.66 | +245% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.41 | $5.02 | +256% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.04 | $1.91 | +83% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.54 | $6.65 | +162% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.77 | $6.16 | +64% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.13 | $5.90 | +89% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.07 | $13.40 | +164% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.17 | +94% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,229 | $10,209 | +216% | 172.7h | 263.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $20,686 | $47,936 | +132% | 1106.4h | 1236.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $542 | $1,259 | +132% | 29.0h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $32.08 | $109 | +240% | 1.7h | 2.8h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $4.78 | $10.23 | +114% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1998 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1.7h → 2.8h
harder
172.7h → 263.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
29.0h → 32.5h
harder
1106.4h → 1236.9h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1998 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
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 $72,695 in 2023 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (163.0 → 304.7).