2008 vs 2014
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+6.7%
Median Home
+24.5%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2008 Price | 2014 Price | Change | Hours 2008 | Hours 2014 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.99 | $2.02 | +2% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.37 | $1.40 | +3% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $3.80 | $3.69 | -3% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $3.27 | $3.37 | +3% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $2.34 | $3.90 | +66% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.21 | $1.53 | +27% | 0.0h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.66 | $5.78 | +58% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $4.21 | $4.89 | +16% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $9.45 | $11.70 | +24% | 0.4h | 0.5h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.12 | $0.14 | +11% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $6,185 | $8,543 | +38% | 255.8h | 331.1h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $27,291 | $33,560 | +23% | 1128.5h | 1300.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $766 | $870 | +14% | 31.7h | 33.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $96.75 | $102 | +5% | 4.0h | 3.9h | Easier |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $7.07 | $7.73 | +9% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2008 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
255.8h → 331.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.1h
harder
0.4h → 0.5h
harder
1128.5h → 1300.9h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
31.7h → 33.7h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2008 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
4.0h → 3.9h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2008 ($50,300), you'd need $55,315 in 2014 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (215.3 → 236.7).