2012 vs 2014
The Cost of Living Comparison
Median Income
+5.2%
Median Home
+16.9%
Housing Labor
1.1x harder
📊 Full Item Comparison
| Item | 2012 Price | 2014 Price | Change | Hours 2012 | Hours 2014 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥚 Eggs | $1.84 | $2.02 | +10% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🍞 Bread | $1.42 | $1.40 | -1% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥛 Milk | $3.49 | $3.69 | +6% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| ⛽ Gas | $3.64 | $3.37 | -8% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Easier |
| 🥩 Ground Beef | $3.03 | $3.90 | +29% | 0.1h | 0.2h | Harder |
| 🐔 Chicken | $1.42 | $1.53 | +8% | 0.1h | 0.1h | Harder |
| 🥓 Bacon | $4.56 | $5.78 | +27% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Harder |
| ☕ Coffee | $5.68 | $4.99 | -12% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍊 Oranges | $5.04 | $4.89 | -3% | 0.2h | 0.2h | Easier |
| 🍬 Sugar | $10.28 | $11.70 | +14% | 0.4h | 0.5h | Harder |
| ⚡ Electricity | $0.13 | $0.14 | +6% | 0.0h | 0.0h | Harder |
| 🎓 College Tuition | $8,070 | $8,543 | +6% | 329.0h | 331.1h | Harder |
| 🚗 New Car | $31,252 | $33,560 | +7% | 1274.1h | 1300.9h | Harder |
| 🏠 Monthly Rent | $820 | $870 | +6% | 33.4h | 33.7h | Harder |
| 🏥 Doctor Visit | $109 | $102 | -7% | 4.4h | 3.9h | Easier |
| 🎬 Movie Ticket | $7.51 | $7.73 | +3% | 0.3h | 0.3h | Easier |
📈 Got Harder to Earn
Items where labor hours increased from 2012 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
0.1h → 0.2h
harder
0.2h → 0.2h
harder
0.4h → 0.5h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
1274.1h → 1300.9h
harder
33.4h → 33.7h
harder
329.0h → 331.1h
harder
0.0h → 0.0h
harder
0.1h → 0.1h
harder
📉 Got Easier to Earn
Items where labor hours decreased from 2012 to 2014, sorted by magnitude.
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
4.4h → 3.9h
easier
0.2h → 0.2h
easier
0.1h → 0.1h
easier
0.3h → 0.3h
easier
💵 Purchasing Power
If you earned the median income in 2012 ($51,020), you'd need $52,604 in 2014 to maintain the same lifestyle.
Based on CPI adjustment (229.6 → 236.7).