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Then and now
Return to "Middle class: 1 family, 2 views"
Whether your pay keeps up with the cost of living depends on what you buy.
Not everything has gone up in price over 20 years - some consumer goods now cost less than they did.
These figures are actual dollars for the given year and are not adjusted for inflation.
| | 1980 | 2000 | Increase
over 20 years |
Seattle-area cost of living
based on the Consumer Price Index* | 100 | 242 | 142% |
| Seattle-area median household income** | $20,717 | $55,188 | 166% |
| Starting teacher salary for Seattle | $12,300 | $25,700 | 109% |
| Boeing machinist salary | $20,800 | $49,900 | 140% |
| Canned ground coffee, per pound | $2.79 | $2.20 | -21% |
| Hamburger, per pound | $1.35 | $1.89 | 40% |
| Apples, per pound | $0.25 | $0.79 | 216% |
| 3-bedroom home, Phinney Ridge, Seattle | $69,000 | $340,000 | 393% |
House price per square foot,
Phinney Ridge neighborhood | $52 | $225 | 333% |
House price per square foot,
Federal Way | $48 | $104 | 117% |
| 19-inch color TV with remote | $499 | $139 | -72% |
| Micowave oven (full size) | $369 | $89 | -76% |
Cheap subcompact car
(Ford Pinto in 1980, Kia Rio in 2000) | $4,284 | $7,737 | 81% |
| Honda Accord LX 4-door | $7,499 | $17,836 | 138% |
Round-trip flight, Seattle to New York
(discount fare) | $251 | $270 | 8% |
| Gallon of gas, unleaded regular | $1.22 | $1.71 | 40% |
Year's tuition, room and board
at the University of Washington | $2,502 | $8,837 | 253% |
* The Consumer Price Index measures the average change in price of basic consumer goods and services
** 1979 - Census Bureau; 1999 - Seattle Times estimate based on Census Bureau data
Sources: advertised prices, Times estimates, Being, Seattle Education Association, University of Washington
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Index of charts
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