Vaughn Monroe Orchestra
Prices in 1949 vs. today
“In today's money” adjusts the 1949 price for inflation (CPI-U, Sep 2026). If today's price is higher than that, the item really did get more expensive, not just the dollar.
| Item | 1949 | Today |
|---|---|---|
| ⛽ Gallon of regular gasper gallon | 27¢ | $4.48 +1,572% |
| 🥛 Half-gallon of whole milkper half-gallon | 42¢ | $2.05 +386% |
| 🥚 Dozen large eggsper dozen | 70¢ | $2.27 +226% |
| 🍞 Loaf of white breadper pound | 14¢ | $1.83 +1,207% |
| ☕ Pound of ground coffeeper pound | 55¢ | $9.33 +1,584% |
| ✉️ First-class postage stampper letter | 3¢ | 82¢ +2,633% |
| ⏱️ Federal minimum wageper hour | 40¢ | $7.25 +1,712% |
| 🧰 Average factory worker's hourly payper hour, manufacturing production workers | $1.25 | $30.21 +2,311% |
| 🥓 Pound of baconper pound | 67¢ | $6.76 +916% |
| 🍌 Pound of bananasper pound | 17¢ | 66¢ +295% |
| 🍬 Pound of white sugarper pound | 9.5¢ | $1.02 +973% |
| 🌾 Pound of flourper pound | 9.6¢ | 55¢ +468% |
1949 at a glance
Questions people ask about 1949
How much was a gallon of gas in 1949?
Regular gasoline averaged 27¢ a gallon in 1949 (U.S. city average, including taxes). That's about $3.79 in today's money. In Sep 2026 it averaged $4.48.
How much was a postage stamp in 1949?
A first-class stamp cost 3¢ in 1949. Today it costs 82¢.
What was the minimum wage in 1949?
The federal minimum wage was 40¢ an hour in 1949, worth about $5.66 an hour today. It has been $7.25 since July 2009.
How much was milk in 1949?
A half-gallon of whole milk averaged 42¢ in 1949. Today: $2.05.
How much were eggs in 1949?
A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged 70¢ in 1949. Today: $2.27.
What was the #1 song of 1949?
Billboard's top song of 1949 was “Riders in the Sky” by Vaughn Monroe Orchestra.
How much is $1 from 1949 worth today?
$1 in 1949 buys about as much as $14.15 did in Sep 2026, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration (regular gasoline, U.S. city average retail price incl. taxes; leaded until 1975, unleaded from 1976); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Average Price Data (U.S. city average) (from 1980); Before 1980: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics retail food prices as published by the U.S. Census Bureau (Historical Statistics of the United States, Series E 187–202, and the Statistical Abstract of the United States); U.S. Postal Service rate history (rate in effect July 1); U.S. Department of Labor (rate in effect July 1); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics; Billboard Year-End Hot 100. How we calculate these.
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