1996 vs Today
The purchasing power of the median household has collapsed. See the data from 1996 below.
1996
Median Income
$35,490
House Price
$140,250
Today
Median Income
$83,730
House Price
$418,975
Cost of Living: 1996 Prices
🛒 Food & Groceries
🥚 Eggs
→1996
$1.11
Today
$3.17
Labor ×
1.2x
per dozen
🍞 Bread
→1996
$0.88
Today
$1.97
Labor ×
1.0x
per loaf
🥛 Milk
→1996
$2.62
Today
$3.98
Labor ×
0.6x
per gallon
🥩 Ground Beef
→1996
$1.37
Today
$5.39
Labor ×
1.7x
per lb
🐔 Chicken
→1996
$0.97
Today
$2.00
Labor ×
0.9x
per lb
🥓 Bacon
→1996
$2.47
Today
$6.78
Labor ×
1.2x
per lb
☕ Coffee
→1996
$3.43
Today
$6.32
Labor ×
0.8x
per lb
🍊 Oranges
→1996
$2.86
Today
$6.13
Labor ×
0.9x
per lb
🍬 Sugar
→1996
$4.93
Today
$13.73
Labor ×
1.2x
per lb
🏠 Housing & Utilities
🚗 Transportation
Salary Purchasing Power
The median income in 1996 was $35,490. Adjusted for inflation, that's equivalent to $70,976 today.
See full salary reality check for 1996 →