1999 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+73.9%
Median Home
+139.2%
Housing Labor
1.4x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 1999 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 1999 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.96 | $1.67 | +75% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.89 | $1.52 | +72% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.84 | $3.54 | +25% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.17 | $3.05 | +162% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.45 | $4.33 | +198% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.06 | $1.53 | +45% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $2.55 | $6.64 | +160% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.43 | $4.71 | +37% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.30 | $4.89 | +48% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.24 | $13.19 | +152% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +63% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,356 | $9,375 | +179% | 171.5h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $21,092 | $42,258 | +100% | 1077.9h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $559 | $1,100 | +97% | 28.6h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $35.05 | $92.47 | +164% | 1.8h | 2.7h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $5.03 | $9.12 | +81% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 1999 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
171.5h → 275.5h
harder
1.8h → 2.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
1077.9h → 1241.8h
harder
28.6h → 32.3h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 1999 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 1999 ($40,700), you'd need $66,203 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (166.6 → 271.0).