Los del Río
Prices in 1996 vs. today
“In today's money” adjusts the 1996 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 | 1996 | Today |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠 Median price of a house soldmedian sale price | $140,300 | $393,300 +180% |
| ⛽ Gallon of regular gasper gallon | $1.23 | $4.48 +264% |
| 🥛 Gallon of whole milkper gallon | $2.62 | $4.11 +57% |
| 🥚 Dozen large eggsper dozen | $1.11 | $2.27 +105% |
| 🍞 Loaf of white breadper pound | 88¢ | $1.83 +109% |
| ☕ Pound of ground coffeeper pound | $3.43 | $9.33 +172% |
| ✉️ First-class postage stampper letter | 32¢ | 82¢ +156% |
| 💡 Kilowatt-hour of home electricityper kWh, residential | 8.4¢ | 18.3¢ +118% |
| ⏱️ Federal minimum wageper hour | $4.25 | $7.25 +71% |
| 🧰 Average factory worker's hourly payper hour, manufacturing production workers | $12.74 | $30.21 +137% |
| 👪 Median family incomeper year | $42,300 | $110,500 +161% |
| 🍔 Pound of ground beefper pound | $1.37 | $6.79 +396% |
| 🥓 Pound of baconper pound | $2.47 | $6.76 +173% |
| 🍗 Pound of whole chickenper pound | 97¢ | $2.06 +112% |
| 🧀 Pound of cheddar cheeseper pound | $3.25 | $6.13 +89% |
| 🍌 Pound of bananasper pound | 49¢ | 66¢ +34% |
| 🍅 Pound of tomatoesper pound | $1.21 | $1.99 +65% |
| 🍬 Pound of white sugarper pound | 42¢ | $1.02 +144% |
| 🌾 Pound of flourper pound | 29¢ | 55¢ +89% |
1996 at a glance
Questions people ask about 1996
How much was a gallon of gas in 1996?
Regular gasoline averaged $1.23 a gallon in 1996 (U.S. city average, including taxes). That's about $2.64 in today's money. In Sep 2026 it averaged $4.48.
How much was a postage stamp in 1996?
A first-class stamp cost 32¢ in 1996. Today it costs 82¢.
How much did a house cost in 1996?
The median price of a house sold in the U.S. in 1996 was $140,300, about $301,388 adjusted for inflation. The latest median (Q3 2026) is $393,300.
What was the minimum wage in 1996?
The federal minimum wage was $4.25 an hour in 1996, worth about $9.13 an hour today. It has been $7.25 since July 2009.
How much was milk in 1996?
A gallon of whole milk averaged $2.62 in 1996. Today: $4.11.
How much were eggs in 1996?
A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged $1.11 in 1996. Today: $2.27.
What was the #1 song of 1996?
Billboard's top song of 1996 was “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” by Los del Río.
How much is $1 from 1996 worth today?
$1 in 1996 buys about as much as $2.15 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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