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1977: what things cost, the #1 song and more

In 1977, a gallon of gas cost 66¢, a gallon of milk was $1.68, a stamp was 13¢ and the median house sold for $48,900. If you were born in 1977, you turn 49 in 2026. Here's how 1977 prices compare with today.

Born in
1977
Gen X
🏠House$48,900Today: $393,300
⛽Gas66¢Today: $4.48
🥛Milk$1.68Today: $4.11
🥚Eggs82¢Today: $2.27
🍞Bread36¢Today: $1.83
☕Coffee$3.47Today: $9.33
✉️Stamp13¢Today: 82¢
🎵 #1 song: “Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)”
Rod Stewart

Prices in 1977 vs. today

“In today's money” adjusts the 1977 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.

Item1977In today's moneyToday
🏠 Median price of a house soldmedian sale price$48,900$271,851$393,300
+704%
⛽ Gallon of regular gasper gallon66¢$3.65$4.48
+583%
🥛 Gallon of whole milkper gallon$1.68$9.33$4.11
+145%
🥛 Half-gallon of whole milkper half-gallon84¢$4.66$2.05
+145%
🥚 Dozen large eggsper dozen82¢$4.58$2.27
+176%
🍞 Loaf of white breadper pound36¢$1.97$1.83
+415%
☕ Pound of ground coffeeper pound$3.47$19.30$9.33
+169%
✉️ First-class postage stampper letter13¢72¢82¢
+531%
💡 Kilowatt-hour of home electricityper kWh, residential4.1¢22.8¢18.3¢
+346%
⏱️ Federal minimum wageper hour$2.30$12.79$7.25
+215%
🧰 Average factory worker's hourly payper hour, manufacturing production workers$5.55$30.85$30.21
+444%
👪 Median family incomeper year$16,000$88,949$110,500
+591%
🍔 Pound of ground beefper pound85¢$4.75$6.79
+695%
🥓 Pound of baconper pound$1.56$8.68$6.76
+333%
🍗 Pound of whole chickenper pound60¢$3.34$2.06
+243%
🍌 Pound of bananasper pound26¢$1.4266¢
+157%
🍅 Pound of tomatoesper pound68¢$3.77$1.99
+194%
🍬 Pound of white sugarper pound22¢$1.20$1.02
+372%
🌾 Pound of flourper pound17¢94¢55¢
+222%

1977 at a glance

Turning this year49 years old
GenerationGen X
PresidentJimmy Carter
U.S. population220.3 million
$1 back then is worth$5.56 today
#1 albumRumours – Fleetwood Mac
🎵
Song of the year
“Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)”
Rod Stewart · Billboard Year-End #1

Questions people ask about 1977

How much was a gallon of gas in 1977?

Regular gasoline averaged 66¢ a gallon in 1977 (U.S. city average, including taxes). That's about $3.65 in today's money. In Sep 2026 it averaged $4.48.

How much was a postage stamp in 1977?

A first-class stamp cost 13¢ in 1977. Today it costs 82¢.

How much did a house cost in 1977?

The median price of a house sold in the U.S. in 1977 was $48,900, about $271,851 adjusted for inflation. The latest median (Q3 2026) is $393,300.

What was the minimum wage in 1977?

The federal minimum wage was $2.30 an hour in 1977, worth about $12.79 an hour today. It has been $7.25 since July 2009.

How much was milk in 1977?

A gallon of whole milk averaged $1.68 in 1977. Today: $4.11.

How much were eggs in 1977?

A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged 82¢ in 1977. Today: $2.27.

What was the #1 song of 1977?

Billboard's top song of 1977 was “Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” by Rod Stewart.

How much is $1 from 1977 worth today?

$1 in 1977 buys about as much as $5.56 did in Sep 2026, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau & HUD, Median Sales Price of Houses Sold; 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. Energy Information Administration (average residential price incl. taxes); 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.