Real income is the
income of individuals or nations after adjusting for
inflation. It is calculated by subtracting inflation from the nominal income. Real variables, such as real income,
real GDP, and
real interest rate are variables that are measured in
physical units, while nominal variables such as nominal income,
nominal GDP, and
nominal interest rate are measured in monetary units. Therefore, real income is a more useful
indicator of
well-being, since it is based on the amount of goods and services that can be purchased with the income. According to the
classical dichotomy theory, real variables and nominal variables are separate in the
long-run, meaning they are not influenced by each other. In other words if the nominal starting income was 100 and there was a 10% inflation (general rise in prices eg: what cost 10 now costs 11) rate. So now with 100 you can buy less and if your income is not adjusted by inflation (did not rise by 10%),your real income has dropped 10%
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income of an individual, organization, or country, after taking into consideration the effects of inflation on purchasing power; also called real wages.