Wham! featuring George Michael
Prices in 1985 vs. today
“In today's money” adjusts the 1985 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 | 1985 | Today |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠 Median price of a house soldmedian sale price | $84,300 | $393,300 +367% |
| ⛽ Gallon of regular gasper gallon | $1.20 | $4.48 +273% |
| 🥛 Half-gallon of whole milkper half-gallon | $1.13 | $2.05 +81% |
| 🥚 Dozen large eggsper dozen | 80¢ | $2.27 +183% |
| 🍞 Loaf of white breadper pound | 55¢ | $1.83 +231% |
| ☕ Pound of ground coffeeper pound | $2.58 | $9.33 +262% |
| ✉️ First-class postage stampper letter | 22¢ | 82¢ +273% |
| 💡 Kilowatt-hour of home electricityper kWh, residential | 7.4¢ | 18.3¢ +147% |
| ⏱️ Federal minimum wageper hour | $3.35 | $7.25 +116% |
| 🧰 Average factory worker's hourly payper hour, manufacturing production workers | $9.40 | $30.21 +221% |
| 👪 Median family incomeper year | $27,700 | $110,500 +299% |
| 🍔 Pound of ground beefper pound | $1.24 | $6.79 +449% |
| 🥓 Pound of baconper pound | $1.94 | $6.76 +248% |
| 🍗 Pound of whole chickenper pound | 76¢ | $2.06 +171% |
| 🧀 Pound of cheddar cheeseper pound | $3.09 | $6.13 +98% |
| 🍌 Pound of bananasper pound | 37¢ | 66¢ +79% |
| 🍅 Pound of tomatoesper pound | 78¢ | $1.99 +156% |
| 🍬 Pound of white sugarper pound | 35¢ | $1.02 +189% |
| 🌾 Pound of flourper pound | 21¢ | 55¢ +157% |
1985 at a glance
Questions people ask about 1985
How much was a gallon of gas in 1985?
Regular gasoline averaged $1.20 a gallon in 1985 (U.S. city average, including taxes). That's about $3.77 in today's money. In Sep 2026 it averaged $4.48.
How much was a postage stamp in 1985?
A first-class stamp cost 22¢ in 1985. Today it costs 82¢.
How much did a house cost in 1985?
The median price of a house sold in the U.S. in 1985 was $84,300, about $264,059 adjusted for inflation. The latest median (Q3 2026) is $393,300.
What was the minimum wage in 1985?
The federal minimum wage was $3.35 an hour in 1985, worth about $10.49 an hour today. It has been $7.25 since July 2009.
How much was milk in 1985?
A half-gallon of whole milk averaged $1.13 in 1985. Today: $2.05.
How much were eggs in 1985?
A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged 80¢ in 1985. Today: $2.27.
What was the #1 song of 1985?
Billboard's top song of 1985 was “Careless Whisper” by Wham! featuring George Michael.
How much is $1 from 1985 worth today?
$1 in 1985 buys about as much as $3.13 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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