Kim Carnes
Prices in 1981 vs. today
“In today's money” adjusts the 1981 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 | 1981 | Today |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠 Median price of a house soldmedian sale price | $69,000 | $393,300 +470% |
| ⛽ Gallon of regular gasper gallon | $1.38 | $4.48 +225% |
| 🥛 Half-gallon of whole milkper half-gallon | $1.12 | $2.05 +84% |
| 🥚 Dozen large eggsper dozen | 90¢ | $2.27 +153% |
| 🍞 Loaf of white breadper pound | 53¢ | $1.83 +249% |
| ☕ Pound of ground coffeeper pound | $2.53 | $9.33 +269% |
| ✉️ First-class postage stampper letter | 18¢ | 82¢ +356% |
| 💡 Kilowatt-hour of home electricityper kWh, residential | 6.2¢ | 18.3¢ +195% |
| ⏱️ Federal minimum wageper hour | $3.35 | $7.25 +116% |
| 🧰 Average factory worker's hourly payper hour, manufacturing production workers | $7.87 | $30.21 +284% |
| 👪 Median family incomeper year | $22,400 | $110,500 +393% |
| 🥓 Pound of baconper pound | $1.67 | $6.76 +306% |
| 🍗 Pound of whole chickenper pound | 73¢ | $2.06 +182% |
| 🍌 Pound of bananasper pound | 36¢ | 66¢ +81% |
| 🍅 Pound of tomatoesper pound | 77¢ | $1.99 +159% |
| 🍬 Pound of white sugarper pound | 40¢ | $1.02 +155% |
| 🌾 Pound of flourper pound | 22¢ | 55¢ +143% |
1981 at a glance
Questions people ask about 1981
How much was a gallon of gas in 1981?
Regular gasoline averaged $1.38 a gallon in 1981 (U.S. city average, including taxes). That's about $5.11 in today's money. In Sep 2026 it averaged $4.48.
How much was a postage stamp in 1981?
A first-class stamp cost 18¢ in 1981. Today it costs 82¢.
How much did a house cost in 1981?
The median price of a house sold in the U.S. in 1981 was $69,000, about $255,693 adjusted for inflation. The latest median (Q3 2026) is $393,300.
What was the minimum wage in 1981?
The federal minimum wage was $3.35 an hour in 1981, worth about $12.41 an hour today. It has been $7.25 since July 2009.
How much was milk in 1981?
A half-gallon of whole milk averaged $1.12 in 1981. Today: $2.05.
How much were eggs in 1981?
A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged 90¢ in 1981. Today: $2.27.
What was the #1 song of 1981?
Billboard's top song of 1981 was “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes.
How much is $1 from 1981 worth today?
$1 in 1981 buys about as much as $3.71 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.
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