What things cost in 2019
In 2019, a dozen eggs averaged $1.40, a gallon of whole milk averaged $3.04 and a pound of white bread averaged $1.30. Here are 52 everyday prices from that year beside September 2026’s, plus each one in today’s dollars.
Yearly averages of BLS monthly pricesToday: September 2026
One dollarConsumer Price Index, all urban consumers
2019$1.00Sep 2026$1.32
It takes $1.32 in September 2026 to buy what $1 bought on average in 2019: prices overall are 1.32 times as high.
- Items priced in 2019
- 52Of the 53 on this site
- Cheaper now, after inflation
- 20Today’s price is below the old one in today’s dollars
- Dearer now, after inflation
- 32Rose faster than prices overall
- Prices overall
- 1.32×CPI-U, 2019 average to Sep 2026
Cheapest now, compared with 2019
The five items whose price rose least against everything else since 2019. Negative means today’s price takes less of today’s money.
| Item | 2019 average | Sep 2026 | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butter, stickper lb | $3.98 | $3.96 | down 24.6% |
| Lemonsper lb | $2.13 | $2.13 | down 24.2% |
| Tomatoes, field grownper lb | $1.93 | $1.99 | down 21.7% |
| Spaghetti and macaroniper lb | $1.21 | $1.38 | down 13.5% |
| Wine, red and white tableper liter | $12.06 | $13.77 | down 13.3% |
Dearest now, compared with 2019
The five items whose price rose most against everything else since 2019.
| Item | 2019 average | Sep 2026 | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diesel fuelper gallon | $3.07 | $6.33 | up 56.3% |
| Orange juice, frozen concentrateper 16 oz | $2.41 | $4.82Jul 2026 | up 51.9% |
| Heating oil (fuel oil #2)per gallon | $2.98 | $5.92 | up 50.5% |
| Ground beef, 100% beefper lb | $3.81 | $6.79 | up 35.4% |
| Sugar, whiteper lb | 59.0¢ | $1.02 | up 31.0% |
Dairy & eggs in 2019
8 items| Item | 2019 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs, grade A largeper dozen | $1.40 | $1.84 | $2.27 | up 62.8% | up 23.4% |
| Milk, wholeper gallon | $3.04 | $4.00 | $4.11 | up 35.3% | up 2.6% |
| Milk, low-fat, reduced-fat or skimper gallon | $2.72 | $3.58 | $3.59 | up 32.0% | up 0.2% |
| Butter, stickper lb | $3.98 | $5.25 | $3.96 | down 0.6% | down 24.6% |
| Cheddar cheeseper lb | $5.31 | $7.00 | $6.13 | up 15.5% | down 12.3% |
| American processed cheeseper lb | $3.88 | $5.11 | $4.74 | up 22.2% | down 7.3% |
| Ice creamper half gallon | $4.81 | $6.34 | $5.93 | up 23.2% | down 6.5% |
| Yogurtper 8 oz | $1.12 | $1.47 | $1.58 | up 41.5% | up 7.4% |
Meat in 2019
13 items| Item | 2019 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground beef, 100% beefper lb | $3.81 | $5.02 | $6.79 | up 78.4% | up 35.4% |
| Ground beef, lean and extra leanper lb | $5.38 | $7.09 | $8.46 | up 57.3% | up 19.3% |
| Ground chuckper lb | $3.94 | $5.19 | $6.48 | up 64.6% | up 24.9% |
| Chicken, wholeper lb | $1.49 | $1.97 | $2.06 | up 38.1% | up 4.8% |
| Chicken breast, bonelessper lb | $3.02 | $3.98 | $4.20 | up 39.3% | up 5.7% |
| Chicken legs, bone-inper lb | $1.43 | $1.88 | $1.74 | up 21.6% | down 7.7% |
| Bacon, slicedper lb | $5.61 | $7.40 | $6.76 | up 20.4% | down 8.7% |
| Pork chopsper lb | $3.76 | $4.96 | $4.55 | up 20.9% | down 8.2% |
| Ham, bonelessper lb | $4.24 | $5.58 | $5.45 | up 28.6% | down 2.4% |
| Sirloin steak, bonelessper lb | $8.37 | $11.04 | $14.11 | up 68.5% | up 27.8% |
| Round steak, bonelessper lb | $5.83 | $7.69 | $9.84 | up 68.6% | up 28.0% |
| Chuck roast, bonelessper lb | $5.35 | $7.05 | $9.19 | up 71.6% | up 30.2% |
| Beef for stew, bonelessper lb · 11 of 12 months | $5.64 | $7.44 | $8.53 | up 51.2% | up 14.7% |
Produce in 2019
9 items| Item | 2019 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bananasper lb | 57.4¢ | 75.6¢ | 65.6¢ | up 14.4% | down 13.2% |
| Oranges, navelper lb | $1.37 | $1.80 | $1.72 | up 26.1% | down 4.3% |
| Lemonsper lb | $2.13 | $2.81 | $2.13 | down 0.1% | down 24.2% |
| Grapefruitper lb | $1.35 | $1.77 | $1.62 | up 20.7% | down 8.4% |
| Strawberriesper 12 oz (dry pint) | $2.46 | $3.25 | $2.84 | up 15.4% | down 12.5% |
| Potatoes, whiteper lb | 76.7¢ | $1.01 | 98.9¢ | up 28.9% | down 2.2% |
| Tomatoes, field grownper lb | $1.93 | $2.55 | $1.99 | up 3.2% | down 21.7% |
| Lettuce, icebergper lb | $1.18 | $1.56 | $1.64 | up 38.1% | up 4.8% |
| Lettuce, romaineper lb | $2.20 | $2.91 | $3.31 | up 50.2% | up 14.0% |
Pantry in 2019
9 items| Item | 2019 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bread, whiteper lb | $1.30 | $1.71 | $1.83 | up 41.0% | up 7.0% |
| Bread, whole wheatper lb | $1.94 | $2.56 | $2.81May 2026 | up 44.7% | up 9.8% |
| Flour, white all-purposeper lb | 44.1¢ | 58.1¢ | 54.5¢ | up 23.5% | down 6.3% |
| Sugar, whiteper lb | 59.0¢ | 77.8¢ | $1.02 | up 72.7% | up 31.0% |
| Rice, white long grainper lb | 76.4¢ | $1.01 | $1.12 | up 46.2% | up 11.0% |
| Spaghetti and macaroniper lb | $1.21 | $1.59 | $1.38 | up 14.1% | down 13.5% |
| Cookies, chocolate chipper lb | $3.49 | $4.60 | $5.15 | up 47.5% | up 11.9% |
| Potato chipsper 16 oz | $4.49 | $5.91 | $6.67 | up 48.7% | up 12.8% |
| Dried beansper lb | $1.34 | $1.77 | $1.67 | up 24.2% | down 5.8% |
Drinks in 2019
5 items| Item | 2019 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange juice, frozen concentrateper 16 oz | $2.41 | $3.17 | $4.82Jul 2026 | up 100.2% | up 51.9% |
| Soft drinks, 2-liter bottleper 2 liters | $1.56 | $2.05 | $2.27 | up 45.9% | up 10.7% |
| Soft drinks, 12-pack cansper 12 oz can | 34.7¢ | 45.7¢ | 59.1¢ | up 70.5% | up 29.3% |
| Beer (malt beverages)per 16 oz | $1.44 | $1.89 | $1.88 | up 30.5% | down 1.0% |
| Wine, red and white tableper liter | $12.06 | $15.89 | $13.77 | up 14.2% | down 13.3% |
Energy in 2019
8 items| Item | 2019 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline, regular unleadedper gallon | $2.64 | $3.47 | $4.48 | up 70.0% | up 29.0% |
| Gasoline, all typesper gallon | $2.70 | $3.56 | $4.63 | up 71.6% | up 30.3% |
| Gasoline, midgrade unleadedper gallon | $2.96 | $3.90 | $4.96 | up 67.3% | up 27.0% |
| Gasoline, premium unleadedper gallon | $3.21 | $4.23 | $5.43 | up 69.0% | up 28.2% |
| Diesel fuelper gallon | $3.07 | $4.05 | $6.33 | up 105.9% | up 56.3% |
| Electricityper kWh | 13.6¢ | 18.0¢ | 19.6¢ | up 43.8% | up 9.1% |
| Natural gas (piped utility gas)per therm | $1.04 | $1.38 | $1.70 | up 62.9% | up 23.6% |
| Heating oil (fuel oil #2)per gallon | $2.98 | $3.93 | $5.92 | up 98.4% | up 50.5% |
How we got these numbers
- 2019 prices are the average of the monthly U.S. city average prices BLS published for that year. An item needs at least nine published months to appear.
- In Sep 2026 dollars restates each month’s price with CPI-U (336.94 in Sep 2026) and then averages the year, so “after inflation” compares like with like.
- One dollar. CPI-U for Sep 2026 divided by the 2019 average of CPI-U (255.7).
- Two items stop early. Whole wheat bread and orange juice: “now” is BLS’s newest month for them, shown under the price.
- Not listed for 2019: coffee. BLS did not price it for enough months that year.
Sources
- Average price data: what it is and how it is collectedU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Average price data filesdownload.bls.gov, files updated Oct 14, 2026
- CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items (CUUR0000SA0)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, monthly
Download CSV52 rows: item, unit, 2019 average, in Sep 2026 dollars, Sep 2026 price