2002 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+66.9%
Median Home
+105.9%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2002 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 2002 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.03 | $1.67 | +62% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.02 | $1.52 | +50% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.76 | $3.54 | +29% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.36 | $3.05 | +125% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.71 | $4.33 | +153% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.07 | $1.53 | +42% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.24 | $6.64 | +105% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.92 | $4.71 | +61% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.73 | $4.89 | +31% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $6.23 | $13.19 | +112% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.14 | +55% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $4,081 | $9,375 | +130% | 200.2h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $22,871 | $42,258 | +85% | 1121.7h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $629 | $1,100 | +75% | 30.8h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $40.59 | $92.47 | +128% | 2.0h | 2.7h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $5.73 | $9.12 | +59% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2002 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
200.2h → 275.5h
harder
2.0h → 2.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
1121.7h → 1241.8h
harder
30.8h → 32.3h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2002 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.3h → 0.3h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2002 ($42,410), you'd need $63,890 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (179.9 → 271.0).