2008 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+40.7%
Median Home
+66.8%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2008 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 2008 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.99 | $1.67 | -16% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.37 | $1.52 | +12% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $3.80 | $3.54 | -7% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $3.27 | $3.05 | -7% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $2.34 | $4.33 | +85% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.21 | $1.53 | +26% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.66 | $6.64 | +81% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $4.21 | $4.89 | +16% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $9.45 | $13.19 | +39% | 0.4h | 0.4h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.12 | $0.14 | +14% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $6,185 | $9,375 | +52% | 255.8h | 275.5h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $27,291 | $42,258 | +55% | 1128.5h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $766 | $1,100 | +44% | 31.7h | 32.3h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $96.75 | $92.47 | -4% | 4.0h | 2.7h | Easier |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $7.07 | $9.12 | +29% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2008 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
1128.5h → 1241.8h
harder
255.8h → 275.5h
harder
31.7h → 32.3h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2008 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
4.0h → 2.7h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.3h → 0.3h
easier
0.4h → 0.4h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2008 ($50,300), you'd need $63,319 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (215.3 → 271.0).