> Until I see median real income start to actually go down

I'm not sure I understand this, it doesn't feel like what I have "lived" for the least 30 years.

Median real income might not be down statistically, but the purchasing power of professional incomes relative to housing, education, and major life costs clearly feels lower than it did in the mid 90s. An inflation-adjusted six-figure salary today does not deliver the same lifestyle position it once did.

Man... healthcare costs, too. Hell, even computers! Raw computing power per dollar is cheaper than ever, but the minimum spec required to function professionally has risen so much that the real cost of staying technologically current feels higher.

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BobaFloutist 13 hours ago | parent [-]

According to a random inflation calculator I found with a lazy Google search, $50,000 in 1996 is about $106,000 today.

Was $50,000 a lot of money in 1996? Did it afford a nice house in a good neighborhood? Or is it that 6 figures just isn't what it used to be?

	▲	raw_anon_1111 9 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I had my first house built in the burbs of Atlanta - 2700 square feet 3-2 and a bonus room for $170k. Going by the house shouldn’t be more than 3.5x your income. That puts the necessary income less than $50K. Heck I had my second house built in the northern burbs of Atlanta in “the good school system” for $335k in 2016. We sold it in 2024 for exactly twice the price.