2005 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+10.1%
Median Home
+3.3%
Housing Labor
1.1x easier
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2005 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 2005 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.22 | $1.84 | +51% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.04 | $1.42 | +36% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $3.19 | $3.49 | +10% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $2.30 | $3.64 | +59% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $2.30 | $3.03 | +32% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.06 | $1.42 | +35% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.39 | $4.56 | +34% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.26 | $5.68 | +74% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $3.74 | $5.04 | +35% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $7.77 | $10.28 | +32% | 0.3h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.10 | $0.13 | +30% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $5,351 | $8,070 | +51% | 240.2h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $25,164 | $31,252 | +24% | 1129.7h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $685 | $820 | +20% | 30.7h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $68.19 | $109 | +60% | 3.1h | 4.4h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $6.42 | $7.51 | +17% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2005 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
3.1h → 4.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
240.2h → 329.0h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.3h → 0.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
1129.7h → 1274.1h
harder
30.7h → 33.4h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2005 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2005 ($46,330), you'd need $54,473 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (195.3 → 229.6).