2000 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+21.5%
Median Home
+45.9%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2000 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 2000 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.91 | $1.84 | +101% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.93 | $1.42 | +52% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.78 | $3.49 | +26% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.51 | $3.64 | +141% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.57 | $3.03 | +93% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.07 | $1.42 | +33% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.03 | $4.56 | +50% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.45 | $5.68 | +65% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.45 | $5.04 | +46% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.41 | $10.28 | +90% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +49% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,501 | $8,070 | +131% | 173.4h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $21,850 | $31,252 | +43% | 1082.4h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $579 | $820 | +42% | 28.7h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $44.99 | $109 | +142% | 2.2h | 4.4h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $5.36 | $7.51 | +40% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2000 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
2.2h → 4.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
173.4h → 329.0h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
1082.4h → 1274.1h
harder
28.7h → 33.4h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2000 ($41,990), you'd need $55,986 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (172.2 → 229.6).