2009 vs 2012
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+2.5%
Median Home
+13.3%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2009 Price | 2012 Price | Change | Hours 2009 | Hours 2012 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.66 | $1.84 | +10% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.39 | $1.42 | +2% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $3.11 | $3.49 | +12% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $2.35 | $3.64 | +55% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $2.22 | $3.03 | +36% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.28 | $1.42 | +11% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.61 | $4.56 | +26% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.67 | $5.68 | +55% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍊 Oranges | $4.32 | $5.04 | +17% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🍬 Sugar | $10.07 | $10.28 | +2% | 0.4h | 0.4h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.13 | $0.13 | +2% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $6,695 | $8,070 | +21% | 279.7h | 329.0h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $28,400 | $31,252 | +10% | 1186.7h | 1274.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $784 | $820 | +5% | 32.7h | 33.4h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $70.76 | $109 | +54% | 3.0h | 4.4h | Harder |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $7.18 | $7.51 | +5% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Harder |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2009 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
3.0h → 4.4h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
279.7h → 329.0h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1186.7h → 1274.1h
harder
32.7h → 33.4h
harder
0.3h → 0.3h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2009 to 2012, sorted by magnitude.
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.4h → 0.4h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2009 ($49,780), you'd need $53,265 in 2012 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (214.6 → 229.6).