2001 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+20.8%
Median Home
+41.2%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2001 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 2001 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $0.93 | $1.84 | +98% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.00 | $1.42 | +42% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.88 | $3.49 | +21% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.46 | $3.64 | +149% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.71 | $3.03 | +77% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.11 | $1.42 | +29% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.25 | $4.56 | +40% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.09 | $5.68 | +84% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.70 | $5.04 | +36% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $5.96 | $10.28 | +72% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +40% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $3,735 | $8,070 | +116% | 184.0h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $22,457 | $31,252 | +39% | 1106.1h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $605 | $820 | +36% | 29.8h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $43.32 | $109 | +152% | 2.1h | 4.4h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $5.56 | $7.51 | +35% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2001 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
2.1h → 4.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
184.0h → 329.0h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
1106.1h → 1274.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
29.8h → 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 2001 ($42,230), you'd need $54,763 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (177.0 → 229.6).