What things cost in 2023
In 2023, a dozen eggs averaged $2.80, a gallon of whole milk averaged $4.03 and a pound of white bread averaged $1.96. Here are 51 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
2023$1.00Sep 2026$1.11
It takes $1.11 in September 2026 to buy what $1 bought on average in 2023: prices overall are 1.11 times as high.
- Items priced in 2023
- 51Of the 53 on this site
- Cheaper now, after inflation
- 31Today’s price is below the old one in today’s dollars
- Dearer now, after inflation
- 20Rose faster than prices overall
- Prices overall
- 1.11×CPI-U, 2023 average to Sep 2026
The same shopping bag, 2023 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.
2023$26.16Sep 2026$31.53
Up 21% in dollars of the day. In Sep 2026 dollars the 2023 bag cost $28.94, so after inflation it is up 9%.
- Eggs per dozen2023: $2.80Sep 2026: $2.27
- Whole milk per gallon2023: $4.03Sep 2026: $4.11
- White bread per lb2023: $1.96Sep 2026: $1.83
- Ground beef per lb2023: $5.02Sep 2026: $6.79
- Whole chicken per lb2023: $1.91Sep 2026: $2.06
- Bananas per lb2023: 63.0¢Sep 2026: 65.6¢
- Coffee per lb2023: $6.16Sep 2026: $9.33
- Regular gas per gallon2023: $3.66Sep 2026: $4.48
Cheapest now, compared with 2023
The five items whose price rose least against everything else since 2023. Negative means today’s price takes less of today’s money.
| Item | 2023 average | Sep 2026 | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs, grade A largeper dozen | $2.80 | $2.27 | down 26.7% |
| Butter, stickper lb | $4.56 | $3.96 | down 21.5% |
| Chicken legs, bone-inper lb | $1.92 | $1.74 | down 17.9% |
| Bread, whiteper lb | $1.96 | $1.83 | down 15.6% |
| Ham, bonelessper lb | $5.71 | $5.45 | down 13.7% |
Dearest now, compared with 2023
The five items whose price rose most against everything else since 2023.
| Item | 2023 average | Sep 2026 | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating oil (fuel oil #2)per gallon | $3.84 | $5.92 | up 39.5% |
| Coffee, ground roastper lb | $6.16 | $9.33 | up 37.1% |
| Orange juice, frozen concentrateper 16 oz | $3.28 | $4.82Jul 2026 | up 32.9% |
| Diesel fuelper gallon | $4.32 | $6.33 | up 32.5% |
| Ground beef, 100% beefper lb | $5.02 | $6.79 | up 22.4% |
Dairy & eggs in 2023
8 items| Item | 2023 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs, grade A largeper dozen | $2.80 | $3.10 | $2.27 | down 18.7% | down 26.7% |
| Milk, wholeper gallon | $4.03 | $4.45 | $4.11 | up 2.0% | down 7.8% |
| Milk, low-fat, reduced-fat or skimper gallon | $3.70 | $4.09 | $3.59 | down 3.0% | down 12.3% |
| Butter, stickper lb | $4.56 | $5.04 | $3.96 | down 13.2% | down 21.5% |
| Cheddar cheeseper lb | $5.82 | $6.44 | $6.13 | up 5.3% | down 4.8% |
| American processed cheeseper lb | $4.76 | $5.26 | $4.74 | down 0.4% | down 9.9% |
| Ice creamper half gallon | $5.90 | $6.52 | $5.93 | up 0.5% | down 9.1% |
| Yogurtper 8 oz | $1.55 | $1.72 | $1.58 | up 1.6% | down 8.1% |
Meat in 2023
13 items| Item | 2023 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground beef, 100% beefper lb | $5.02 | $5.55 | $6.79 | up 35.3% | up 22.4% |
| Ground beef, lean and extra leanper lb | $6.68 | $7.39 | $8.46 | up 26.6% | up 14.5% |
| Ground chuckper lb | $5.03 | $5.56 | $6.48 | up 28.9% | up 16.6% |
| Chicken, wholeper lb | $1.91 | $2.12 | $2.06 | up 7.8% | down 2.5% |
| Chicken breast, bonelessper lb | $4.23 | $4.68 | $4.20 | down 0.6% | down 10.2% |
| Chicken legs, bone-inper lb | $1.92 | $2.12 | $1.74 | down 9.3% | down 17.9% |
| Bacon, slicedper lb | $6.65 | $7.36 | $6.76 | up 1.5% | down 8.2% |
| Pork chopsper lb | $4.51 | $4.99 | $4.55 | up 0.9% | down 8.8% |
| Ham, bonelessper lb | $5.71 | $6.32 | $5.45 | down 4.6% | down 13.7% |
| Sirloin steak, bonelessper lb | $11.07 | $12.24 | $14.11 | up 27.4% | up 15.2% |
| Round steak, bonelessper lb | $7.57 | $8.37 | $9.84 | up 29.9% | up 17.5% |
| Chuck roast, bonelessper lb | $7.11 | $7.86 | $9.19 | up 29.2% | up 16.9% |
| Beef for stew, bonelessper lb | $7.00 | $7.74 | $8.53 | up 21.9% | up 10.2% |
Produce in 2023
7 items| Item | 2023 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bananasper lb | 63.0¢ | 69.7¢ | 65.6¢ | up 4.1% | down 5.9% |
| Oranges, navelper lb | $1.58 | $1.75 | $1.72 | up 9.1% | down 1.4% |
| Lemonsper lb | $2.14 | $2.36 | $2.13 | down 0.4% | down 10.0% |
| Strawberriesper 12 oz (dry pint) | $2.85 | $3.15 | $2.84 | down 0.2% | down 9.8% |
| Potatoes, whiteper lb | $1.00 | $1.11 | 98.9¢ | down 1.6% | down 11.0% |
| Tomatoes, field grownper lb | $1.92 | $2.12 | $1.99 | up 3.8% | down 6.2% |
| Lettuce, romaineper lb | $2.77 | $3.06 | $3.31 | up 19.7% | up 8.2% |
Pantry in 2023
10 items| Item | 2023 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bread, whiteper lb | $1.96 | $2.17 | $1.83 | down 6.6% | down 15.6% |
| Bread, whole wheatper lb | $2.56 | $2.83 | $2.81May 2026 | up 10.0% | down 0.5% |
| Flour, white all-purposeper lb | 55.1¢ | 60.9¢ | 54.5¢ | down 1.0% | down 10.5% |
| Sugar, whiteper lb | 92.1¢ | $1.02 | $1.02 | up 10.6% | unchanged 0.0% |
| Rice, white long grainper lb | 98.5¢ | $1.09 | $1.12 | up 13.5% | up 2.7% |
| Spaghetti and macaroniper lb | $1.43 | $1.58 | $1.38 | down 4.0% | down 13.2% |
| Coffee, ground roastper lb | $6.16 | $6.81 | $9.33 | up 51.6% | up 37.1% |
| Cookies, chocolate chipper lb | $5.12 | $5.67 | $5.15 | up 0.6% | down 9.1% |
| Potato chipsper 16 oz | $6.45 | $7.13 | $6.67 | up 3.5% | down 6.4% |
| Dried beansper lb | $1.67 | $1.85 | $1.67 | down 0.2% | down 9.8% |
Drinks in 2023
5 items| Item | 2023 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange juice, frozen concentrateper 16 oz | $3.28 | $3.62 | $4.82Jul 2026 | up 46.9% | up 32.9% |
| Soft drinks, 2-liter bottleper 2 liters | $2.30 | $2.54 | $2.27 | down 1.1% | down 10.6% |
| Soft drinks, 12-pack cansper 12 oz can | 55.3¢ | 61.2¢ | 59.1¢ | up 6.8% | down 3.4% |
| Beer (malt beverages)per 16 oz | $1.74 | $1.93 | $1.88 | up 7.6% | down 2.7% |
| Wine, red and white tableper liter | $13.40 | $14.81 | $13.77 | up 2.8% | down 7.1% |
Energy in 2023
8 items| Item | 2023 average | In Sep 2026 $ | Sep 2026 | Now vs then | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline, regular unleadedper gallon | $3.66 | $4.04 | $4.48 | up 22.5% | up 10.8% |
| Gasoline, all typesper gallon | $3.77 | $4.17 | $4.63 | up 22.8% | up 11.1% |
| Gasoline, midgrade unleadedper gallon | $4.07 | $4.50 | $4.96 | up 21.7% | up 10.1% |
| Gasoline, premium unleadedper gallon | $4.47 | $4.94 | $5.43 | up 21.4% | up 9.8% |
| Diesel fuelper gallon | $4.32 | $4.78 | $6.33 | up 46.6% | up 32.5% |
| Electricityper kWh | 16.8¢ | 18.6¢ | 19.6¢ | up 16.6% | up 5.4% |
| Natural gas (piped utility gas)per therm | $1.46 | $1.62 | $1.70 | up 16.4% | up 5.2% |
| Heating oil (fuel oil #2)per gallon | $3.84 | $4.25 | $5.92 | up 54.3% | up 39.5% |
How we got these numbers
- 2023 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 2023 average of CPI-U (304.7).
- 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 2023: grapefruit, iceberg 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 CSV51 rows: item, unit, 2023 average, in Sep 2026 dollars, Sep 2026 price