2002 vs 2023
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+90.1%
Median Home
+129.3%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2002 Price | 2023 Price | Change | Hours 2002 | Hours 2023 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.03 | $2.80 | +171% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.02 | $1.96 | +93% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $2.76 | $4.03 | +46% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.36 | $3.66 | +169% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $1.71 | $5.02 | +193% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.07 | $1.91 | +78% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.24 | $6.65 | +106% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.92 | $6.16 | +111% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.73 | $5.90 | +58% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $6.23 | $13.40 | +115% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.17 | +85% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $4,081 | $10,209 | +150% | 200.2h | 263.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $22,871 | $47,936 | +110% | 1121.7h | 1236.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $629 | $1,259 | +100% | 30.8h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $40.59 | $109 | +169% | 2.0h | 2.8h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $5.73 | $10.23 | +78% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2002 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
2.0h → 2.8h
harder
200.2h → 263.4h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
1121.7h → 1236.9h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
30.8h → 32.5h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2002 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.3h → 0.3h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2002 ($42,410), you'd need $71,845 in 2023 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (179.9 → 304.7).