1999 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+25.4%
Median Home
+52.6%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1999 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 1999 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.96 | $1.84 | +92% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.89 | $1.42 | +60% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.84 | $3.49 | +23% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.17 | $3.64 | +213% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.45 | $3.03 | +108% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.06 | $1.42 | +35% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.55 | $4.56 | +79% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $5.68 | +66% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.30 | $5.04 | +53% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.24 | $10.28 | +96% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +50% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,356 | $8,070 | +140% | 171.5h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $21,092 | $31,252 | +48% | 1077.9h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $559 | $820 | +47% | 28.6h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $35.05 | $109 | +211% | 1.8h | 4.4h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $5.03 | $7.51 | +49% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1999 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1.8h → 4.4h
harder
171.5h → 329.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
1077.9h → 1274.1h
harder
28.6h → 33.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1999 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1999 ($40,700), you'd need $56,093 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (166.6 → 229.6).