1988 vs Today
The purchasing power of the median household has collapsed. See the data from 1988 below.
1988
Median Income
$27,230
House Price
$112,225
Today
Median Income
$83,730
House Price
$418,975
Cost of Living: 1988 Prices
🛒 Food & Groceries
🥚 Eggs
→1988
$0.79
Today
$3.17
Labor ×
1.3x
per dozen
🍞 Bread
→1988
$0.61
Today
$1.97
Labor ×
1.0x
per loaf
🥩 Ground Beef
→1988
$1.36
Today
$5.39
Labor ×
1.3x
per lb
🐔 Chicken
→1988
$0.85
Today
$2.00
Labor ×
0.8x
per lb
🥓 Bacon
→1988
$1.88
Today
$6.78
Labor ×
1.2x
per lb
☕ Coffee
→1988
$2.77
Today
$6.32
Labor ×
0.7x
per lb
🍊 Oranges
→1988
$2.46
Today
$6.13
Labor ×
0.8x
per lb
🏠 Housing & Utilities
🚗 Transportation
Salary Purchasing Power
The median income in 1988 was $27,230. Adjusted for inflation, that's equivalent to $72,221 today.
See full salary reality check for 1988 →