We have calculated the decline, from 1979 to 2015, in the “time cost” of 16 common household items (i.e., the number of hours the average American would have to work to earn enough money to purchase various household items). buff.ly/2Idhu6t
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When comparing the "average" American wage from 1979 to today, one must also take into account the statistical variance (IOW, standard deviation): inequality has risen sharply, so the pure average is less representative of the majority than it was then.
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This is certainly true, though the distribution shifts from 1979 are fairly shallow compared to the shifts in those household good costs; c.f.