real income

American  

[ree-uhl, reel] / ˈri əl, ril /

noun

1. the amount of goods and services that money income will buy.

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real income Cultural  

1. Income measured in terms of the goods and services it can buy.

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Etymology

Origin of real income

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

real income

That paper gain was a financial curse for families intending to stay put: While real income remained flat, tax bills went up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

The moderation in growth from this year’s projected 2% is owing to a slowdown in real income growth and consumer spending.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026

That pushes real income lower as wage growth slows.

From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2025

"However, softer earnings growth, higher inflation, tighter fiscal policy, and the lagged impact of past interest rate rises for some mortgagors point to much weaker real income growth moving forward."

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2025

Provided its net real income, its rent and profits be the same, it is of no importance whether the nation consists of ten or of twelve millions of inhabitants.

From On The Principles of Political Economy, and Taxation by Ricardo, David