Gotye featuring Kimbra
Prices in 2012 vs. today
“In today's money” adjusts the 2012 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 | 2012 | Today |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠 Median price of a house soldmedian sale price | $244,400 | $393,300 +61% |
| ⛽ Gallon of regular gasper gallon | $3.64 | $4.48 +23% |
| 🥛 Gallon of whole milkper gallon | $3.49 | $4.11 +18% |
| 🥚 Dozen large eggsper dozen | $1.84 | $2.27 +24% |
| 🍞 Loaf of white breadper pound | $1.42 | $1.83 +29% |
| ☕ Pound of ground coffeeper pound | $5.68 | $9.33 +64% |
| ✉️ First-class postage stampper letter | 45¢ | 82¢ +82% |
| 💡 Kilowatt-hour of home electricityper kWh, residential | 11.9¢ | 18.3¢ +54% |
| ⏱️ Federal minimum wageper hour | $7.25 | $7.25 +0% |
| 🧰 Average factory worker's hourly payper hour, manufacturing production workers | $19.06 | $30.21 +58% |
| 👪 Median family incomeper year | $62,200 | $110,500 +78% |
| 🍔 Pound of ground beefper pound | $3.03 | $6.79 +124% |
| 🥓 Pound of baconper pound | $4.56 | $6.76 +48% |
| 🍗 Pound of whole chickenper pound | $1.42 | $2.06 +45% |
| 🧀 Pound of cheddar cheeseper pound | $5.63 | $6.13 +9% |
| 🍌 Pound of bananasper pound | 60¢ | 66¢ +9% |
| 🍅 Pound of tomatoesper pound | $1.46 | $1.99 +37% |
| 🍬 Pound of white sugarper pound | 69¢ | $1.02 +47% |
| 🌾 Pound of flourper pound | 52¢ | 55¢ +5% |
2012 at a glance
Questions people ask about 2012
How much was a gallon of gas in 2012?
Regular gasoline averaged $3.64 a gallon in 2012 (U.S. city average, including taxes). That's about $5.35 in today's money. In Sep 2026 it averaged $4.48.
How much was a postage stamp in 2012?
A first-class stamp cost 45¢ in 2012. Today it costs 82¢.
How much did a house cost in 2012?
The median price of a house sold in the U.S. in 2012 was $244,400, about $358,669 adjusted for inflation. The latest median (Q3 2026) is $393,300.
What was the minimum wage in 2012?
The federal minimum wage was $7.25 an hour in 2012, worth about $10.64 an hour today. It has been $7.25 since July 2009.
How much was milk in 2012?
A gallon of whole milk averaged $3.49 in 2012. Today: $4.11.
How much were eggs in 2012?
A dozen large Grade A eggs averaged $1.84 in 2012. Today: $2.27.
What was the #1 song of 2012?
Billboard's top song of 2012 was “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye featuring Kimbra.
How much is $1 from 2012 worth today?
$1 in 2012 buys about as much as $1.47 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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