1985 vs Today
The purchasing power of the median household has collapsed. See the data from 1985 below.
1985
Median Income
$23,620
House Price
$84,275
Today
Median Income
$83,730
House Price
$418,975
Cost of Living: 1985 Prices
🛒 Food & Groceries
🥚 Eggs
→1985
$0.80
Today
$3.17
Labor ×
1.1x
per dozen
🍞 Bread
→1985
$0.55
Today
$1.97
Labor ×
1.0x
per loaf
🥩 Ground Beef
→1985
$1.24
Today
$5.39
Labor ×
1.2x
per lb
🐔 Chicken
→1985
$0.76
Today
$2.00
Labor ×
0.7x
per lb
🥓 Bacon
→1985
$1.94
Today
$6.78
Labor ×
1.0x
per lb
☕ Coffee
→1985
$2.58
Today
$6.32
Labor ×
0.7x
per lb
🍊 Oranges
→1985
$2.30
Today
$6.13
Labor ×
0.8x
per lb
🏠 Housing & Utilities
🚗 Transportation
Salary Purchasing Power
The median income in 1985 was $23,620. Adjusted for inflation, that's equivalent to $68,862 today.
See full salary reality check for 1985 →