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?

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.