Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris
Prices in 2004 vs. today
“In today's money” adjusts the 2004 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 | 2004 | Today |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠 Median price of a house soldmedian sale price | $218,200 | $393,300 +80% |
| ⛽ Gallon of regular gasper gallon | $1.88 | $4.48 +138% |
| 🥛 Gallon of whole milkper gallon | $3.16 | $4.11 +30% |
| 🥚 Dozen large eggsper dozen | $1.34 | $2.27 +70% |
| 🍞 Loaf of white breadper pound | 97¢ | $1.83 +89% |
| ☕ Pound of ground coffeeper pound | $2.85 | $9.33 +228% |
| ✉️ First-class postage stampper letter | 37¢ | 82¢ +122% |
| 💡 Kilowatt-hour of home electricityper kWh, residential | 9.0¢ | 18.3¢ +103% |
| ⏱️ Federal minimum wageper hour | $5.15 | $7.25 +41% |
| 🧰 Average factory worker's hourly payper hour, manufacturing production workers | $16.14 | $30.21 +87% |
| 👪 Median family incomeper year | $54,100 | $110,500 +104% |
| 🍔 Pound of ground beefper pound | $2.16 | $6.79 +215% |
| 🥓 Pound of baconper pound | $3.38 | $6.76 +100% |
| 🍗 Pound of whole chickenper pound | $1.07 | $2.06 +93% |
| 🧀 Pound of cheddar cheeseper pound | $4.27 | $6.13 +44% |
| 🍌 Pound of bananasper pound | 50¢ | 66¢ +33% |
| 🍅 Pound of tomatoesper pound | $1.61 | $1.99 +24% |
| 🍬 Pound of white sugarper pound | 43¢ | $1.02 +139% |
| 🌾 Pound of flourper pound | 30¢ | 55¢ +80% |
2004 at a glance
Questions people ask about 2004
How much was a gallon of gas in 2004?
Regular gasoline averaged $1.88 a gallon in 2004 (U.S. city average, including taxes). That's about $3.35 in today's money. In Sep 2026 it averaged $4.48.
How much was a postage stamp in 2004?
A first-class stamp cost 37¢ in 2004. Today it costs 82¢.
How much did a house cost in 2004?
The median price of a house sold in the U.S. in 2004 was $218,200, about $389,237 adjusted for inflation. The latest median (Q3 2026) is $393,300.
What was the minimum wage in 2004?
The federal minimum wage was $5.15 an hour in 2004, worth about $9.19 an hour today. It has been $7.25 since July 2009.
How much was milk in 2004?
A gallon of whole milk averaged $3.16 in 2004. Today: $4.11.
How much were eggs in 2004?
A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged $1.34 in 2004. Today: $2.27.
What was the #1 song of 2004?
Billboard's top song of 2004 was “Yeah!” by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris.
How much is $1 from 2004 worth today?
$1 in 2004 buys about as much as $1.78 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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