HarderToEarn.com

2015 vs 2023

The Cost of Living Comparison

Median Income

$56,520 $80,610

+42.6%

Median Home

$294,150 $426,525

+45.0%

Housing Labor

5.2yr 5.3yr

1.0x harder

📊 Full Item Comparison

Item 2015 Price 2023 Price Change Hours 2015 Hours 2023 Verdict
🥚 Eggs $2.47 $2.80 +13% 0.1h 0.1h Easier
🍞 Bread $1.44 $1.96 +36% 0.1h 0.1h Easier
🥛 Milk $3.42 $4.03 +18% 0.1h 0.1h Easier
⛽ Gas $2.45 $3.66 +49% 0.1h 0.1h Harder
🥩 Ground Beef $4.17 $5.02 +20% 0.2h 0.1h Easier
🐔 Chicken $1.49 $1.91 +29% 0.1h 0.0h Easier
🥓 Bacon $5.45 $6.65 +22% 0.2h 0.2h Easier
☕ Coffee $4.72 $6.16 +30% 0.2h 0.2h Easier
🍊 Oranges $4.74 $5.90 +24% 0.2h 0.2h Easier
🍬 Sugar $12.25 $13.40 +9% 0.5h 0.3h Easier
⚡ Electricity $0.14 $0.17 +22% 0.0h 0.0h Easier
🎓 College Tuition $8,778 $10,209 +16% 323.0h 263.4h Easier
🚗 New Car $34,428 $47,936 +39% 1267.0h 1236.9h Easier
🏠 Monthly Rent $901 $1,259 +40% 33.2h 32.5h Easier
🏥 Doctor Visit $74.01 $109 +47% 2.7h 2.8h Harder
🎬 Movie Ticket $7.90 $10.23 +29% 0.3h 0.3h Easier

📈 Got Harder to Earn

Items where labor hours increased from 2015 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.

Gas

0.1h → 0.1h

1.0x

harder

🏥
Doctor Visit

2.7h → 2.8h

1.0x

harder

📉 Got Easier to Earn

Items where labor hours decreased from 2015 to 2023, sorted by magnitude.

🍬
Sugar

0.5h → 0.3h

0.8x

easier

🥚
Eggs

0.1h → 0.1h

0.8x

easier

🎓
College Tuition

323.0h → 263.4h

0.8x

easier

🥛
Milk

0.1h → 0.1h

0.8x

easier

🥩
Ground Beef

0.2h → 0.1h

0.8x

easier

Electricity

0.0h → 0.0h

0.9x

easier

🥓
Bacon

0.2h → 0.2h

0.9x

easier

🍊
Oranges

0.2h → 0.2h

0.9x

easier

🐔
Chicken

0.1h → 0.0h

0.9x

easier

🎬
Movie Ticket

0.3h → 0.3h

0.9x

easier

Coffee

0.2h → 0.2h

0.9x

easier

🍞
Bread

0.1h → 0.1h

1.0x

easier

🚗
New Car

1267.0h → 1236.9h

1.0x

easier

🏠
Monthly Rent

33.2h → 32.5h

1.0x

easier

💵 Purchasing Power

If you earned the median income in 2015 ($56,520), you'd need $72,666 in 2023 to maintain the same lifestyle.

Based on CPI adjustment (237.0 → 304.7).

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