2009 vs 2021
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+42.2%
Median Home
+77.6%
Housing Labor
1.2x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2009 Price | 2021 Price | Change | Hours 2009 | Hours 2021 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.66 | $1.67 | +1% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.39 | $1.52 | +10% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $3.11 | $3.54 | +14% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| ⛽ Gas | $2.35 | $3.05 | +30% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $2.22 | $4.33 | +95% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.28 | $1.53 | +19% | 0.1h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🥓 Bacon | $3.61 | $6.64 | +84% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $3.67 | $4.71 | +28% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $4.32 | $4.89 | +13% | 0.2h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $10.07 | $13.19 | +31% | 0.4h | 0.4h | Easier |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.13 | $0.14 | +11% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Easier |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $6,695 | $9,375 | +40% | 279.7h | 275.5h | Easier |
| 🚗 New Car | $28,400 | $42,258 | +49% | 1186.7h | 1241.8h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $784 | $1,100 | +40% | 32.7h | 32.3h | Easier |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $70.76 | $92.47 | +31% | 3.0h | 2.7h | Easier |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $7.18 | $9.12 | +27% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2009 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
1186.7h → 1241.8h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2009 to 2021, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.0h → 0.0h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.0h
easier
0.3h → 0.3h
easier
0.2h → 0.1h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
3.0h → 2.7h
easier
0.4h → 0.4h
easier
279.7h → 275.5h
easier
32.7h → 32.3h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2009 ($49,780), you'd need $62,866 in 2021 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (214.6 → 271.0).