1999 vs 2016
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+45.1%
Median Home
+90.6%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1999 Price | 2016 Price | Change | Hours 1999 | Hours 2016 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.96 | $1.68 | +76% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.89 | $1.37 | +55% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.84 | $3.20 | +13% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.17 | $2.14 | +84% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.45 | $3.75 | +158% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.06 | $1.46 | +39% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.55 | $5.42 | +113% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.39 | +28% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.30 | $4.76 | +44% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.24 | $12.33 | +135% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +57% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,356 | $8,804 | +162% | 171.5h | 310.2h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $21,092 | $35,309 | +67% | 1077.9h | 1243.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $559 | $935 | +67% | 28.6h | 32.9h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $35.05 | $65.64 | +87% | 1.8h | 2.3h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $5.03 | $8.18 | +63% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1999 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
171.5h → 310.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
1.8h → 2.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
1077.9h → 1243.9h
harder
28.6h → 32.9h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1999 to 2016, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1999 ($40,700), you'd need $58,639 in 2016 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (166.6 → 240.0).