2009 vs 2017
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+22.8%
Median Home
+49.5%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2009 Price | 2017 Price | Change | Hours 2009 | Hours 2017 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.66 | $1.47 | -12% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.39 | $1.33 | -4% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $3.11 | $3.23 | +4% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $2.35 | $2.41 | +2% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $2.22 | $3.64 | +64% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.28 | $1.47 | +15% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.61 | $5.77 | +60% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.67 | $4.45 | +21% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $4.32 | $4.69 | +9% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $10.07 | $12.66 | +26% | 0.4h | 0.4h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.13 | $0.14 | +8% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $6,695 | $9,037 | +35% | 279.7h | 307.4h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $28,400 | $36,113 | +27% | 1186.7h | 1228.6h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $784 | $971 | +24% | 32.7h | 33.0h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $70.76 | $74.24 | +5% | 3.0h | 2.5h | Easier |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $7.18 | $8.40 | +17% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2009 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
279.7h → 307.4h
harder
1186.7h → 1228.6h
harder
0.4h → 0.4h
harder
32.7h → 33.0h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2009 to 2017, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
3.0h → 2.5h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.3h → 0.3h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2009 ($49,780), you'd need $56,869 in 2017 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (214.6 → 245.1).