1989 vs Today
The purchasing power of the median household has collapsed. See the data from 1989 below.
1989
Median Income
$28,910
House Price
$120,425
Today
Median Income
$83,730
House Price
$418,975
Cost of Living: 1989 Prices
🛒 Food & Groceries
🥚 Eggs
→1989
$1.00
Today
$3.17
Labor ×
1.1x
per dozen
🍞 Bread
→1989
$0.67
Today
$1.97
Labor ×
1.0x
per loaf
🥩 Ground Beef
→1989
$1.44
Today
$5.39
Labor ×
1.3x
per lb
🐔 Chicken
→1989
$0.93
Today
$2.00
Labor ×
0.7x
per lb
🥓 Bacon
→1989
$1.77
Today
$6.78
Labor ×
1.3x
per lb
☕ Coffee
→1989
$3.07
Today
$6.32
Labor ×
0.7x
per lb
🍊 Oranges
→1989
$2.60
Today
$6.13
Labor ×
0.8x
per lb
🏠 Housing & Utilities
🚗 Transportation
Salary Purchasing Power
The median income in 1989 was $28,910. Adjusted for inflation, that's equivalent to $73,172 today.
See full salary reality check for 1989 →