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1958: what things cost, the #1 song and more

In 1958, a gallon of gas cost 30¢, a half-gallon of milk was 51¢ and a stamp was 3¢. If you were born in 1958, you turn 68 in 2026. Here's how 1958 prices compare with today.

Born in
1958
Baby Boomer
⛽Gas30¢Today: $4.48
🥛Milk (½ gal)51¢Today: $2.05
🥚Eggs60¢Today: $2.27
🍞Bread19¢Today: $1.83
☕Coffee91¢Today: $9.33
✉️Stamp3¢Today: 82¢
⏱️Minimum wage$1.00Today: $7.25
🎵 #1 song: “Nel blu, dipinto di blu”
Domenico Modugno

Prices in 1958 vs. today

“In today's money” adjusts the 1958 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.

Item1958In today's moneyToday
⛽ Gallon of regular gasper gallon30¢$3.55$4.48
+1,374%
🥛 Half-gallon of whole milkper half-gallon51¢$5.91$2.05
+306%
🥚 Dozen large eggsper dozen60¢$7.05$2.27
+276%
🍞 Loaf of white breadper pound19¢$2.25$1.83
+848%
☕ Pound of ground coffeeper pound91¢$10.59$9.33
+929%
✉️ First-class postage stampper letter3¢35¢82¢
+2,633%
⏱️ Federal minimum wageper hour$1.00$11.68$7.25
+625%
🧰 Average factory worker's hourly payper hour, manufacturing production workers$1.99$23.19$30.21
+1,421%
👪 Median family incomeper year$5,100$59,547$110,500
+2,067%
🍔 Pound of ground beefper pound53¢$6.18$6.79
+1,184%
🥓 Pound of baconper pound79¢$9.26$6.76
+752%
🍗 Pound of whole chickenper pound47¢$5.43$2.06
+344%
🍌 Pound of bananasper pound17¢$2.0266¢
+279%
🍅 Pound of tomatoesper pound32¢$3.75$1.99
+521%
🍬 Pound of white sugarper pound11¢$1.32$1.02
+802%
🌾 Pound of flourper pound11¢$1.2855¢
+395%

1958 at a glance

Turning this year68 years old
GenerationBaby Boomer
PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower
U.S. population174.1 million
$1 back then is worth$11.68 today
#1 albumMusic from My Fair Lady – Original Cast
🎵
Song of the year
“Nel blu, dipinto di blu”
Domenico Modugno · Billboard Year-End #1

Questions people ask about 1958

How much was a gallon of gas in 1958?

Regular gasoline averaged 30¢ a gallon in 1958 (U.S. city average, including taxes). That's about $3.55 in today's money. In Sep 2026 it averaged $4.48.

How much was a postage stamp in 1958?

A first-class stamp cost 3¢ in 1958. Today it costs 82¢.

What was the minimum wage in 1958?

The federal minimum wage was $1.00 an hour in 1958, worth about $11.68 an hour today. It has been $7.25 since July 2009.

How much was milk in 1958?

A half-gallon of whole milk averaged 51¢ in 1958. Today: $2.05.

How much were eggs in 1958?

A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged 60¢ in 1958. Today: $2.27.

What was the #1 song of 1958?

Billboard's top song of 1958 was “Nel blu, dipinto di blu” by Domenico Modugno.

How much is $1 from 1958 worth today?

$1 in 1958 buys about as much as $11.68 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; U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey; Billboard Year-End Hot 100. How we calculate these.