2009 vs 2018
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+26.9%
Median Home
+50.8%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2009 Price | 2018 Price | Change | Hours 2009 | Hours 2018 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.66 | $1.74 | +5% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.39 | $1.29 | -7% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $3.11 | $2.90 | -7% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $2.35 | $2.74 | +16% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $2.22 | $3.72 | +67% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.28 | $1.50 | +17% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.61 | $5.47 | +52% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.67 | $4.30 | +17% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $4.32 | $4.74 | +10% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $10.07 | $12.46 | +24% | 0.4h | 0.4h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.13 | $0.14 | +7% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $6,695 | $9,212 | +38% | 279.7h | 303.3h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $28,400 | $37,577 | +32% | 1186.7h | 1237.1h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $784 | $1,006 | +28% | 32.7h | 33.1h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $70.76 | $84.16 | +19% | 3.0h | 2.8h | Easier |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $7.18 | $8.57 | +19% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2009 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
279.7h → 303.3h
harder
1186.7h → 1237.1h
harder
32.7h → 33.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2009 to 2018, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
3.0h → 2.8h
easier
0.3h → 0.3h
easier
0.4h → 0.4h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2009 ($49,780), you'd need $58,256 in 2018 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (214.6 → 251.1).