2002 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+20.3%
Median Home
+31.4%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2002 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 2002 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.03 | $1.84 | +78% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.02 | $1.42 | +40% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.76 | $3.49 | +27% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.36 | $3.64 | +168% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.71 | $3.03 | +77% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.07 | $1.42 | +32% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.24 | $4.56 | +41% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.92 | $5.68 | +94% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.73 | $5.04 | +35% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $6.23 | $10.28 | +65% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.13 | +42% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $4,081 | $8,070 | +98% | 200.2h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $22,871 | $31,252 | +37% | 1121.7h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $629 | $820 | +30% | 30.8h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $40.59 | $109 | +168% | 2.0h | 4.4h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $5.73 | $7.51 | +31% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2002 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.0h → 4.4h
harder
200.2h → 329.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
1121.7h → 1274.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
30.8h → 33.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2002 ($42,410), you'd need $54,133 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (179.9 → 229.6).