2008 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+1.4%
Median Home
+6.5%
Housing Labor
1.0x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2008 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 2008 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.99 | $1.84 | -7% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.37 | $1.42 | +4% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥛 Milk | $3.80 | $3.49 | -8% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $3.27 | $3.64 | +12% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $2.34 | $3.03 | +29% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.21 | $1.42 | +18% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.66 | $4.56 | +24% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $4.21 | $5.04 | +20% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $9.45 | $10.28 | +9% | 0.4h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.12 | $0.13 | +5% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $6,185 | $8,070 | +30% | 255.8h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $27,291 | $31,252 | +15% | 1128.5h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $766 | $820 | +7% | 31.7h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $96.75 | $109 | +13% | 4.0h | 4.4h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $7.07 | $7.51 | +6% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2008 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
255.8h → 329.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
1128.5h → 1274.1h
harder
4.0h → 4.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.4h → 0.4h
harder
31.7h → 33.4h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2008 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2008 ($50,300), you'd need $53,649 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (215.3 → 229.6).