1999 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+55.2%
Median Home
+103.1%
Housing Labor
1.3x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1999 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 1999 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.96 | $1.74 | +82% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.89 | $1.29 | +45% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.84 | $2.90 | +2% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.17 | $2.74 | +135% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.45 | $3.72 | +156% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.06 | $1.50 | +42% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.55 | $5.47 | +115% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.30 | +26% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.30 | $4.74 | +44% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.24 | $12.46 | +138% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +58% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,356 | $9,212 | +174% | 171.5h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $21,092 | $37,577 | +78% | 1077.9h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $559 | $1,006 | +80% | 28.6h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $35.05 | $84.16 | +140% | 1.8h | 2.8h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $5.03 | $8.57 | +70% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1999 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
171.5h → 303.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1.8h → 2.8h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
28.6h → 33.1h
harder
1077.9h → 1237.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1999 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1999 ($40,700), you'd need $61,349 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (166.6 → 251.1).