What things cost in 2021
In 2021, a dozen eggs averaged $1.67, a gallon of whole milk averaged $3.54 and a pound of white bread averaged $1.52. Here are 49 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
2021$1.00Sep 2026$1.24
It takes $1.24 in September 2026 to buy what $1 bought on average in 2021: prices overall are 1.24 times as high.
- Items priced in 2021
- 49Of the 53 on this site
- Cheaper now, after inflation
- 19Today’s price is below the old one in today’s dollars
- Dearer now, after inflation
- 30Rose faster than prices overall
- Prices overall
- 1.24×CPI-U, 2021 average to Sep 2026
The same shopping bag, 2021 and now
One of each: a dozen eggs, a gallon of whole milk, a pound each of white bread, ground beef, whole chicken, bananas and coffee, and a gallon of regular gas.
2021$20.95Sep 2026$31.53
Up 50% in dollars of the day. In Sep 2026 dollars the 2021 bag cost $26.04, so after inflation it is up 21%.
- Eggs per dozen2021: $1.67Sep 2026: $2.27
- Whole milk per gallon2021: $3.54Sep 2026: $4.11
- White bread per lb2021: $1.52Sep 2026: $1.83
- Ground beef per lb2021: $4.33Sep 2026: $6.79
- Whole chicken per lb2021: $1.53Sep 2026: $2.06
- Bananas per lb2021: 60.0¢Sep 2026: 65.6¢
- Coffee per lb2021: $4.70Sep 2026: $9.33
- Regular gas per gallon2021: $3.05Sep 2026: $4.48
Cheapest now, compared with 2021
The five items whose price rose least against everything else since 2021. Negative means today’s price takes less of today’s money.
| Item | 2021 average | Sep 2026 | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacon, slicedper lb | $6.64 | $6.76 | down 18.0% |
| Pork chopsper lb | $4.37 | $4.55 | down 16.3% |
| Wine, red and white tableper liter | $13.19 | $13.77 | down 16.1% |
| Chicken legs, bone-inper lb | $1.64 | $1.74 | down 14.9% |
| Strawberriesper 12 oz (dry pint) · 11 of 12 months | $2.67 | $2.84 | down 14.6% |
Dearest now, compared with 2021
The five items whose price rose most against everything else since 2021.
| Item | 2021 average | Sep 2026 | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee, ground roastper lb | $4.70 | $9.33 | up 59.5% |
| Heating oil (fuel oil #2)per gallon | $3.01 | $5.92 | up 58.7% |
| Diesel fuelper gallon | $3.26 | $6.33 | up 56.5% |
| Orange juice, frozen concentrateper 16 oz | $2.50 | $4.82Jul 2026 | up 55.0% |
| Ground beef, 100% beefper lb | $4.33 | $6.79 | up 26.3% |
Dairy & eggs in 2021
8 items| Item | 2021 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs, grade A largeper dozen | $1.67 | $2.08 | $2.27 | up 35.7% | up 9.2% |
| Milk, wholeper gallon | $3.54 | $4.41 | $4.11 | up 15.8% | down 6.8% |
| Milk, low-fat, reduced-fat or skimper gallon | $3.14 | $3.90 | $3.59 | up 14.4% | down 7.9% |
| Butter, stickper lb | $3.58 | $4.46 | $3.96 | up 10.4% | down 11.2% |
| Cheddar cheeseper lb | $5.44 | $6.77 | $6.13 | up 12.7% | down 9.4% |
| American processed cheeseper lb | $4.04 | $5.02 | $4.74 | up 17.4% | down 5.7% |
| Ice creamper half gallon | $4.89 | $6.09 | $5.93 | up 21.3% | down 2.5% |
| Yogurtper 8 oz | $1.22 | $1.52 | $1.58 | up 29.0% | up 3.7% |
Meat in 2021
13 items| Item | 2021 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground beef, 100% beefper lb | $4.33 | $5.38 | $6.79 | up 56.9% | up 26.3% |
| Ground beef, lean and extra leanper lb | $6.03 | $7.50 | $8.46 | up 40.2% | up 12.8% |
| Ground chuckper lb | $4.56 | $5.67 | $6.48 | up 42.2% | up 14.4% |
| Chicken, wholeper lb | $1.53 | $1.90 | $2.06 | up 35.2% | up 8.7% |
| Chicken breast, bonelessper lb | $3.45 | $4.29 | $4.20 | up 21.8% | down 2.0% |
| Chicken legs, bone-inper lb | $1.64 | $2.04 | $1.74 | up 5.8% | down 14.9% |
| Bacon, slicedper lb | $6.64 | $8.24 | $6.76 | up 1.8% | down 18.0% |
| Pork chopsper lb | $4.37 | $5.44 | $4.55 | up 4.0% | down 16.3% |
| Ham, bonelessper lb | $4.83 | $6.01 | $5.45 | up 12.9% | down 9.2% |
| Sirloin steak, bonelessper lb | $10.31 | $12.81 | $14.11 | up 36.8% | up 10.2% |
| Round steak, bonelessper lb | $6.97 | $8.67 | $9.84 | up 41.1% | up 13.5% |
| Chuck roast, bonelessper lb | $6.62 | $8.22 | $9.19 | up 38.8% | up 11.8% |
| Beef for stew, bonelessper lb | $6.52 | $8.10 | $8.53 | up 30.8% | up 5.3% |
Produce in 2021
5 items| Item | 2021 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bananasper lb | 60.0¢ | 74.6¢ | 65.6¢ | up 9.3% | down 12.1% |
| Oranges, navelper lb · 9 of 12 months | $1.36 | $1.70 | $1.72 | up 26.5% | up 1.5% |
| Strawberriesper 12 oz (dry pint) · 11 of 12 months | $2.67 | $3.33 | $2.84 | up 6.6% | down 14.6% |
| Potatoes, whiteper lb | 78.0¢ | 97.0¢ | 98.9¢ | up 26.8% | up 1.9% |
| Tomatoes, field grownper lb | $1.85 | $2.30 | $1.99 | up 7.7% | down 13.4% |
Pantry in 2021
10 items| Item | 2021 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bread, whiteper lb | $1.52 | $1.90 | $1.83 | up 20.1% | down 3.4% |
| Bread, whole wheatper lb | $2.13 | $2.66 | $2.81May 2026 | up 31.9% | up 6.0% |
| Flour, white all-purposeper lb | 40.4¢ | 50.3¢ | 54.5¢ | up 35.0% | up 8.4% |
| Sugar, whiteper lb | 68.4¢ | 85.1¢ | $1.02 | up 49.0% | up 19.8% |
| Rice, white long grainper lb | 79.4¢ | 98.7¢ | $1.12 | up 40.9% | up 13.3% |
| Spaghetti and macaroniper lb | $1.18 | $1.47 | $1.38 | up 16.6% | down 6.4% |
| Coffee, ground roastper lb | $4.70 | $5.85 | $9.33 | up 98.3% | up 59.5% |
| Cookies, chocolate chipper lb | $3.96 | $4.92 | $5.15 | up 30.2% | up 4.7% |
| Potato chipsper 16 oz | $5.08 | $6.31 | $6.67 | up 31.4% | up 5.6% |
| Dried beansper lb | $1.45 | $1.80 | $1.67 | up 15.3% | down 7.3% |
Drinks in 2021
5 items| Item | 2021 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange juice, frozen concentrateper 16 oz | $2.50 | $3.11 | $4.82Jul 2026 | up 92.7% | up 55.0% |
| Soft drinks, 2-liter bottleper 2 liters | $1.69 | $2.11 | $2.27 | up 34.2% | up 7.9% |
| Soft drinks, 12-pack cansper 12 oz can | 41.1¢ | 51.1¢ | 59.1¢ | up 43.9% | up 15.7% |
| Beer (malt beverages)per 16 oz | $1.53 | $1.90 | $1.88 | up 22.8% | down 1.3% |
| Wine, red and white tableper liter | $13.19 | $16.40 | $13.77 | up 4.4% | down 16.1% |
Energy in 2021
8 items| Item | 2021 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline, regular unleadedper gallon | $3.05 | $3.79 | $4.48 | up 46.9% | up 18.4% |
| Gasoline, all typesper gallon | $3.13 | $3.89 | $4.63 | up 47.8% | up 19.1% |
| Gasoline, midgrade unleadedper gallon | $3.40 | $4.22 | $4.96 | up 45.9% | up 17.6% |
| Gasoline, premium unleadedper gallon | $3.69 | $4.58 | $5.43 | up 47.0% | up 18.4% |
| Diesel fuelper gallon | $3.26 | $4.04 | $6.33 | up 94.4% | up 56.5% |
| Electricityper kWh | 14.1¢ | 17.5¢ | 19.6¢ | up 39.3% | up 12.0% |
| Natural gas (piped utility gas)per therm | $1.25 | $1.55 | $1.70 | up 36.3% | up 9.7% |
| Heating oil (fuel oil #2)per gallon | $3.01 | $3.73 | $5.92 | up 97.1% | up 58.7% |
How we got these numbers
- 2021 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 2021 average of CPI-U (271.0).
- 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 2021: lemons, grapefruit, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce. BLS did not price them 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 CSV49 rows: item, unit, 2021 average, in Sep 2026 dollars, Sep 2026 price