The Alignment Economy

What's Your NPUX?

Since 1979, worker productivity has roughly doubled. Typical pay grew about a third of that. Enter your hourly wage to see what the gap actually costs you.

Your hourly wage

Paid a salary? Divide your annual pay by 2,080 to get an hourly figure.

Your Wage

Aligned Wage, 1979 Baseline

Your Tier

What Everyday Things Actually Cost You

Illustrative national average prices. One NPUX equals one hour of participation at your rate.

Survival Expenses

The six categories in the book's Essential Economic Basket Value (EEBV) — the minimum cost of remaining economically functional. Statutory baseline: $3,000/month.

Rent / mortgage

Health care (premiums, co-pays)

Food / groceries

Utilities

Transportation (transit/commuting)

Cell phone & internet

Required Beyond Survival

Real costs the statutory baseline doesn't capture — the EEBV assumes transit-based commuting, not car ownership.

Car payment

Auto insurance

Fuel

Car maintenance & repairs

Childcare

Student loan payments

Other debt payments

Life / disability insurance

Living

Genuinely discretionary spending — kept separate so it never gets confused with survival math.

Dining out

Entertainment

Subscriptions

Hobbies / recreation

Travel

Personal care

Other expenses

Want to help build the first real regional cost-of-living dataset? Enter your full monthly costs — rent, groceries, insurance, and more — and see exactly how your area compares.

Enter Your Full Monthly Costs →

Nobody has to be the villain for the structure to be misaligned.

Read The Alignment Economy

Based on a 1979 baseline, when productivity and pay were still moving together, using EPI Productivity-Pay Tracker data. Reflects economy-wide averages, not any specific industry.

This tool is provided for illustrative and educational purposes only. It is based on user-provided inputs, national average data, and a simplified economic model, and does not account for individual circumstances, regional cost variation, taxes, or benefits. It does not constitute financial, legal, tax, or budgeting advice, and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a qualified financial professional.