Can you believe it’s been 20 years since Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) landed her not-so-dream job at Runway? A lot has changed since 2006, including the cost of living. Even back then, Andy’s lifestyle didn’t quite match her paycheque, but in 2026 the difference is glaring. With The Devil Wears Prada 2 on the way, here’s how her salary stacks up against the lifestyle she was somehow living. Salary – $32,500 (2006) to $70,000 (2026) Credit: 20th Century Fox In The Devil Wears Prada book, Andy was paid $32,000 (£24,000) before taxes, whereas a recent ad for a similar position at Vogue publisher Condé Nast was offering between $60,000 (£44,500) and $80,000 (£59,000). Working as a junior assistant at Runway is the job “a million girls would kill for”, but that had little to do with the pay. Now, both figures are not to be sniffed at, but living the lifestyle Andy was in New York City is near damn impossible. Especially after rent… Rent – $2,850 (2006) to $7,825 (2026) Credit: 20th Century Fox According to the New York Times, the average one bedroom flat in a non-doorman building in Soho – where Andy lived with her boyfriend Nate (Adrian Grenier) – would set you back a whopping $2850 (£2110). Now, bear in mind that she would have split this with Nate, but that’s still a huge chunk of her wages. But it’s nothing compared to what she’d be paying today if she were in the same role now: $7,825 (£5,800), as per RentHop. Even halved, that’s basically her entire paycheque gone before she’s even bought a single latte for Miranda (Meryl Streep). Chanel boots – $1,500 (2006) to $4,150 (2026) View this post on Instagram A post shared by sororité. (@sororitevintage) Who can forget the moment Andy had Emily’s (Emily Blunt) jaw on the floor with the Chanel thigh-high boots from the 2005 fall/winter collection. The Cut did some digging and found out that they had a price tag of $1,500 (£1,110) 20 years ago. Today, well, you’d be hard pressed to actually find a pair. But the outlet did find a recently sold listing for just over $4,150 (£3,070). This one’s just for comparison’s sake, however, as we all know Nigel (Stanley Tucci) raided them from the Runway closet. Green Fendi crochet bag – $930 (2006) to $3,250 (2026) Credit: 20th Century Fox On the topic of the 2005 fall/winter collection, another little number that made an appearance in Andy’s glow-up scene was the green Fendi knit chef bag. A disgruntled blogger revealed that it originally cost $930 (£690), a hefty chunk for what, as they put it, anyone’s grandmother could make in an evening. But in today’s market, well, a recent listing on Sororité has it down for $3,250 (£2,400). Yeah, I’ll stick with my grandma’s, thanks. Again, this one’s more of a fun entry because we all know Andy didn’t pay for the bag herself. Cream cheese bagel – $2 (2006) to $6.50 (2026) Credit: 20th Century Fox Big ticket designer items might not affect Andy’s bank account, but her New Yorker breakfast of a cream cheese bagel certainly will – especially if she’s eating these every morning. There’s some guesswork to the $2 figure, as the cost of a cream cheese bagel at Murray’s was $2.75 in 2014, so we rounded down according to inflation. But these days you’re looking at $6.50, depending on where you’re buying from. After Andy’s rent? It’d have to be a ‘bagels at home’ situation. Latest phone – $475 (2006) to $1,099 (2026) Credit: 20th Century Fox Of course, you can’t be booking impossible flights in the middle of a Broadway show without the latest phone model, which at the time was the T-Mobile Sidekick – retailing at $475 (£350). But that’s pennies compared to the modern equivalent – the iPhone 17 Pro – which starts at $1,099 (£815) in the US. That one would definitely have to be on credit. Miranda’s Starbucks order – $3 (2006) to $6.50 (2026) Credit: 20th Century Fox Last but definitely not least, who can forget Miranda’s signature Starbucks order: a tall, no-foam, extra-shot, extra-hot nonfat latte. The Cut revealed that this would set you back $3 two decades ago. But if Miranda’s still ordering the same drink in The Devil Wears Prada 2, Andy might want to grab the company card, as it’s more than doubled in price to $6.50. Inflation’s a bitch. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: 20th Century Fox Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
