1990 vs Today
The purchasing power of the median household has collapsed. See the data from 1990 below.
1990
Median Income
$29,940
House Price
$122,300
Today
Median Income
$83,730
House Price
$418,975
Cost of Living: 1990 Prices
🛒 Food & Groceries
🥚 Eggs
→1990
$1.01
Today
$3.17
Labor ×
1.1x
per dozen
🍞 Bread
→1990
$0.69
Today
$1.97
Labor ×
1.0x
per loaf
🥩 Ground Beef
→1990
$1.59
Today
$5.39
Labor ×
1.2x
per lb
🐔 Chicken
→1990
$0.90
Today
$2.00
Labor ×
0.8x
per lb
🥓 Bacon
→1990
$2.12
Today
$6.78
Labor ×
1.1x
per lb
☕ Coffee
→1990
$2.97
Today
$6.32
Labor ×
0.8x
per lb
🍊 Oranges
→1990
$2.60
Today
$6.13
Labor ×
0.8x
per lb
🏠 Housing & Utilities
🚗 Transportation
Salary Purchasing Power
The median income in 1990 was $29,940. Adjusted for inflation, that's equivalent to $71,883 today.
See full salary reality check for 1990 →