2008 vs 2023
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+60.3%
Median Home
+85.8%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2008 Price | 2023 Price | Change | Hours 2008 | Hours 2023 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.99 | $2.80 | +41% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.37 | $1.96 | +43% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $3.80 | $4.03 | +6% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $3.27 | $3.66 | +12% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $2.34 | $5.02 | +114% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.21 | $1.91 | +59% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.66 | $6.65 | +82% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $4.21 | $5.90 | +40% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $9.45 | $13.40 | +42% | 0.4h | 0.3h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.12 | $0.17 | +36% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $6,185 | $10,209 | +65% | 255.8h | 263.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $27,291 | $47,936 | +76% | 1128.5h | 1236.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $766 | $1,259 | +64% | 31.7h | 32.5h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $96.75 | $109 | +13% | 4.0h | 2.8h | Easier |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $7.07 | $10.23 | +45% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2008 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
1128.5h → 1236.9h
harder
255.8h → 263.4h
harder
31.7h → 32.5h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2008 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
4.0h → 2.8h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.4h → 0.3h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
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 $71,202 in 2023 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (215.3 → 304.7).