Blondie
Prices in 1980 vs. today
“In today's money” adjusts the 1980 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 | 1980 | Today |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠 Median price of a house soldmedian sale price | $64,800 | $393,300 +507% |
| ⛽ Gallon of regular gasper gallon | $1.25 | $4.48 +260% |
| 🥛 Half-gallon of whole milkper half-gallon | $1.05 | $2.05 +96% |
| 🥚 Dozen large eggsper dozen | 84¢ | $2.27 +169% |
| 🍞 Loaf of white breadper pound | 51¢ | $1.83 +260% |
| ☕ Pound of ground coffeeper pound | $3.14 | $9.33 +197% |
| ✉️ First-class postage stampper letter | 15¢ | 82¢ +447% |
| 💡 Kilowatt-hour of home electricityper kWh, residential | 5.4¢ | 18.3¢ +239% |
| ⏱️ Federal minimum wageper hour | $3.10 | $7.25 +134% |
| 🧰 Average factory worker's hourly payper hour, manufacturing production workers | $7.15 | $30.21 +322% |
| 👪 Median family incomeper year | $21,000 | $110,500 +426% |
| 🥓 Pound of baconper pound | $1.47 | $6.76 +361% |
| 🍗 Pound of whole chickenper pound | 71¢ | $2.06 +191% |
| 🍌 Pound of bananasper pound | 34¢ | 66¢ +92% |
| 🍅 Pound of tomatoesper pound | 67¢ | $1.99 +196% |
| 🍬 Pound of white sugarper pound | 43¢ | $1.02 +139% |
| 🌾 Pound of flourper pound | 21¢ | 55¢ +160% |
1980 at a glance
Questions people ask about 1980
How much was a gallon of gas in 1980?
Regular gasoline averaged $1.25 a gallon in 1980 (U.S. city average, including taxes). That's about $5.09 in today's money. In Sep 2026 it averaged $4.48.
How much was a postage stamp in 1980?
A first-class stamp cost 15¢ in 1980. Today it costs 82¢.
How much did a house cost in 1980?
The median price of a house sold in the U.S. in 1980 was $64,800, about $264,947 adjusted for inflation. The latest median (Q3 2026) is $393,300.
What was the minimum wage in 1980?
The federal minimum wage was $3.10 an hour in 1980, worth about $12.67 an hour today. It has been $7.25 since July 2009.
How much was milk in 1980?
A half-gallon of whole milk averaged $1.05 in 1980. Today: $2.05.
How much were eggs in 1980?
A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged 84¢ in 1980. Today: $2.27.
What was the #1 song of 1980?
Billboard's top song of 1980 was “Call Me” by Blondie.
How much is $1 from 1980 worth today?
$1 in 1980 buys about as much as $4.09 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); 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.
Get tomorrow's year in your inbox
One short email each morning around 7am Eastern: the new daily game and one surprising price from the past. No spam, unsubscribe in one click.