1990
26 different songs reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990, starting with Another Day In Paradise by Phil Collins. No single song ran away with the year: Nothing Compares 2 U (Sinead O'Connor), Vision Of Love (Mariah Carey) and Because I Love You (The Postman Song) (Stevie B) shared the longest stay at the top, 4 weeks each within 1990.
Prices rose 5.4% over 1989, a fast year for inflation. One dollar in 1990 buys about what $2.46 buys in 2025.
A gallon of regular gas averaged $1.16, up 14% from 1989. In 2025 dollars that is $2.87, against an actual 2025 average of $3.26.
Mailing a letter took a 25¢ stamp (it is 73¢ in 2025), and the federal minimum wage was $3.69 an hour.
Every #1 hit of 1990
| Song | Artist | First week at #1 | Weeks at #1 in 1990 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Another Day In Paradise | Phil Collins | Jan 6 | 2 |
| How Am I Supposed To Live Without You | Michael Bolton | Jan 20 | 3 |
| Opposites Attract | Paula Abdul (Duet With The Wild Pair) | Feb 10 | 3 |
| Escapade | Janet Jackson | Mar 3 | 3 |
| Black Velvet | Alannah Myles | Mar 24 | 2 |
| Love Will Lead You Back | Taylor Dayne | Apr 7 | 1 |
| I'll Be Your Everything | Tommy Page | Apr 14 | 1 |
| Nothing Compares 2 U | Sinead O'Connor | Apr 21 | 4 |
| Vogue | Madonna | May 19 | 3 |
| Hold On | Wilson Phillips | Jun 9 | 1 |
| It Must Have Been Love (From "Pretty Woman") | Roxette | Jun 16 | 2 |
| Step By Step | New Kids On The Block | Jun 30 | 3 |
| She Ain't Worth It | Glenn Medeiros Featuring Bobby Brown | Jul 21 | 2 |
| Vision Of Love | Mariah Carey | Aug 4 | 4 |
| If Wishes Came True | Sweet Sensation | Sep 1 | 1 |
| Blaze Of Glory (From "Young Guns II") | Jon Bon Jovi | Sep 8 | 1 |
| Release Me | Wilson Phillips | Sep 15 | 2 |
| (Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection | Nelson | Sep 29 | 1 |
| Close To You | Maxi Priest | Oct 6 | 1 |
| Praying For Time | George Michael | Oct 13 | 1 |
| I Don't Have The Heart | James Ingram | Oct 20 | 1 |
| Black Cat | Janet Jackson | Oct 27 | 1 |
| Ice Ice Baby | Vanilla Ice | Nov 3 | 1 |
| Love Takes Time | Mariah Carey | Nov 10 | 3 |
| I'm Your Baby Tonight | Whitney Houston | Dec 1 | 1 |
| Because I Love You (The Postman Song) | Stevie B | Dec 8 | 4 |
Weeks are counted within 1990; a song that carried over from 1989 or into 1991 shows only its 1990 weeks.
What things cost in 1990
| Item | 1990 price | In 2025 dollars | Actual 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallon of regular gas | $1.16 | $2.87 | $3.26 |
| Dozen large eggs | $1.01 | $2.50 | $4.25 |
| Loaf of white bread (per lb) | $0.69 | $1.71 | $1.87 |
| Ground beef (per lb) | $1.59 | $3.91 | $6.09 |
| Whole chicken (per lb) | $0.90 | $2.22 | $2.06 |
| Bacon (per lb) | $2.12 | $5.24 | $7.02 |
| Ground coffee (per lb) | $2.97 | $7.31 | $8.18 |
| Bananas (per lb) | $0.46 | $1.14 | $0.65 |
| Sugar (per lb) | $0.43 | $1.05 | $1.02 |
| Potatoes (per lb) | $0.37 | $0.91 | $0.96 |
| Flour (per lb) | $0.25 | $0.62 | $0.56 |
| Electricity (per kWh) | $0.08 | $0.21 | $0.18 |
| Federal minimum wage (per hour) | $3.69 | $9.09 | $7.25 |
| Median new home sale price | $122,300 | $301,349 | $415,400 |
| First-class stamp | 25¢ | 62¢ | 73¢ |
Compare 1990 prices with any amount → · Find the #1 song on any day in 1990 →
The internet in 1990
- 1990Archie, the first search engine — Alan Emtage and colleagues at McGill University build Archie to index files on public FTP servers. source
- December 20, 1990The first web page goes live — At CERN, info.cern.ch serves the first page of the World Wide Web, explaining what the web is and how to use it. source
