2005 vs 2009
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+7.4%
Median Home
-8.8%
Housing Labor
1.2x easier
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2005 Price | 2009 Price | Change | Hours 2005 | Hours 2009 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.22 | $1.66 | +37% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.04 | $1.39 | +33% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $3.19 | $3.11 | -2% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $2.30 | $2.35 | +2% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $2.30 | $2.22 | -3% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.06 | $1.28 | +21% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.39 | $3.61 | +6% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.26 | $3.67 | +12% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.74 | $4.32 | +15% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $7.77 | $10.07 | +30% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.10 | $0.13 | +27% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $5,351 | $6,695 | +25% | 240.2h | 279.7h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $25,164 | $28,400 | +13% | 1129.7h | 1186.7h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $685 | $784 | +14% | 30.7h | 32.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $68.19 | $70.76 | +4% | 3.1h | 3.0h | Easier |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $6.42 | $7.18 | +12% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2005 to 2009, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
240.2h → 279.7h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
30.7h → 32.7h
harder
1129.7h → 1186.7h
harder
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2005 to 2009, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
3.1h → 3.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2005 ($46,330), you'd need $50,909 in 2009 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (195.3 → 214.6).