2004 vs 2023
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+81.8%
Median Home
+95.5%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2004 Price | 2023 Price | Change | Hours 2004 | Hours 2023 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.34 | $2.80 | +109% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $0.97 | $1.96 | +102% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $3.16 | $4.03 | +28% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $1.88 | $3.66 | +95% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $2.16 | $5.02 | +132% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.07 | $1.91 | +79% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.38 | $6.65 | +97% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $2.85 | $6.16 | +116% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.84 | $5.90 | +54% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $6.92 | $13.40 | +94% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.09 | $0.17 | +78% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $5,027 | $10,209 | +103% | 235.9h | 263.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $23,686 | $47,936 | +102% | 1111.4h | 1236.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $665 | $1,259 | +89% | 31.2h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $55.93 | $109 | +95% | 2.6h | 2.8h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $6.22 | $10.23 | +64% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2004 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
235.9h → 263.4h
harder
1111.4h → 1236.9h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
2.6h → 2.8h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
31.2h → 32.5h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2004 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.3h → 0.3h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2004 ($44,330), you'd need $71,503 in 2023 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (188.9 → 304.7).