2008 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+25.6%
Median Home
+41.7%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2008 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 2008 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.99 | $1.74 | -12% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.37 | $1.29 | -6% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $3.80 | $2.90 | -24% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $3.27 | $2.74 | -16% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $2.34 | $3.72 | +59% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.21 | $1.50 | +24% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.66 | $5.47 | +49% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $4.21 | $4.74 | +13% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $9.45 | $12.46 | +32% | 0.4h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.12 | $0.14 | +10% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $6,185 | $9,212 | +49% | 255.8h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $27,291 | $37,577 | +38% | 1128.5h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $766 | $1,006 | +31% | 31.7h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $96.75 | $84.16 | -13% | 4.0h | 2.8h | Easier |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $7.07 | $8.57 | +21% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2008 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
255.8h → 303.3h
harder
1128.5h → 1237.1h
harder
0.4h → 0.4h
harder
31.7h → 33.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2008 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
4.0h → 2.8h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.3h → 0.3h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2008 ($50,300), you'd need $58,676 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (215.3 → 251.1).