1999 vs 2014
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+31.8%
Median Home
+78.5%
Housing Labor
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1999 Price | 2014 Price | Change | Hours 1999 | Hours 2014 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.96 | $2.02 | +110% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.89 | $1.40 | +58% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.84 | $3.69 | +30% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.17 | $3.37 | +189% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.45 | $3.90 | +168% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.06 | $1.53 | +45% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.55 | $5.78 | +127% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.99 | +46% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.30 | $4.89 | +48% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.24 | $11.70 | +123% | 0.3h | 0.5h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +59% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,356 | $8,543 | +155% | 171.5h | 331.1h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $21,092 | $33,560 | +59% | 1077.9h | 1300.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $559 | $870 | +56% | 28.6h | 33.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $35.05 | $102 | +190% | 1.8h | 3.9h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $5.03 | $7.73 | +53% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1999 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
1.8h → 3.9h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
171.5h → 331.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.3h → 0.5h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
1077.9h → 1300.9h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
28.6h → 33.7h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1999 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1999 ($40,700), you'd need $57,835 in 2014 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (166.6 → 236.7).