2005 vs 2008
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+8.6%
Median Home
-3.0%
Housing Labor
1.1x easier
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2005 Price | 2008 Price | Change | Hours 2005 | Hours 2008 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.22 | $1.99 | +63% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.04 | $1.37 | +31% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $3.19 | $3.80 | +19% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $2.30 | $3.27 | +42% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $2.30 | $2.34 | +2% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.06 | $1.21 | +14% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.39 | $3.66 | +8% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.74 | $4.21 | +13% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $7.77 | $9.45 | +22% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.10 | $0.12 | +23% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $5,351 | $6,185 | +16% | 240.2h | 255.8h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $25,164 | $27,291 | +8% | 1129.7h | 1128.5h | Easier |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $685 | $766 | +12% | 30.7h | 31.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $68.19 | $96.75 | +42% | 3.1h | 4.0h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $6.42 | $7.07 | +10% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2005 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
3.1h → 4.0h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
240.2h → 255.8h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
30.7h → 31.7h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2005 to 2008, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
1129.7h → 1128.5h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2005 ($46,330), you'd need $51,072 in 2008 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (195.3 → 215.3).