Dionne & Friends
Prices in 1986 vs. today
“In today's money” adjusts the 1986 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 | 1986 | Today |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠 Median price of a house soldmedian sale price | $92,000 | $393,300 +328% |
| ⛽ Gallon of regular gasper gallon | 93¢ | $4.48 +383% |
| 🥛 Half-gallon of whole milkper half-gallon | $1.11 | $2.05 +84% |
| 🥚 Dozen large eggsper dozen | 87¢ | $2.27 +161% |
| 🍞 Loaf of white breadper pound | 56¢ | $1.83 +224% |
| ☕ Pound of ground coffeeper pound | $3.43 | $9.33 +172% |
| ✉️ 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 | $9.59 | $30.21 +215% |
| 👪 Median family incomeper year | $29,500 | $110,500 +275% |
| 🍔 Pound of ground beefper pound | $1.23 | $6.79 +451% |
| 🥓 Pound of baconper pound | $2.08 | $6.76 +224% |
| 🍗 Pound of whole chickenper pound | 84¢ | $2.06 +147% |
| 🧀 Pound of cheddar cheeseper pound | $3.05 | $6.13 +101% |
| 🍌 Pound of bananasper pound | 39¢ | 66¢ +70% |
| 🍅 Pound of tomatoesper pound | 82¢ | $1.99 +142% |
| 🍬 Pound of white sugarper pound | 35¢ | $1.02 +190% |
| 🌾 Pound of flourper pound | 21¢ | 55¢ +162% |
1986 at a glance
Questions people ask about 1986
How much was a gallon of gas in 1986?
Regular gasoline averaged 93¢ a gallon in 1986 (U.S. city average, including taxes). That's about $2.85 in today's money. In Sep 2026 it averaged $4.48.
How much was a postage stamp in 1986?
A first-class stamp cost 22¢ in 1986. Today it costs 82¢.
How much did a house cost in 1986?
The median price of a house sold in the U.S. in 1986 was $92,000, about $282,812 adjusted for inflation. The latest median (Q3 2026) is $393,300.
What was the minimum wage in 1986?
The federal minimum wage was $3.35 an hour in 1986, worth about $10.30 an hour today. It has been $7.25 since July 2009.
How much was milk in 1986?
A half-gallon of whole milk averaged $1.11 in 1986. Today: $2.05.
How much were eggs in 1986?
A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged 87¢ in 1986. Today: $2.27.
What was the #1 song of 1986?
Billboard's top song of 1986 was “That's What Friends Are For” by Dionne & Friends.
How much is $1 from 1986 worth today?
$1 in 1986 buys about as much as $3.07 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.