Rewind to
1993
11 different songs reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993. The year opened with I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston at the top, and it stayed there longer than anything else that year: 9 weeks.
Prices rose 3.0% over 1992, a calm year by historical standards. One dollar in 1993 buys about what $2.23 buys in 2025.
A gallon of regular gas averaged $1.11, down 2% from 1992. In 2025 dollars that is $2.47, against an actual 2025 average of $3.26.
Mailing a letter took a 29¢ stamp (it is 73¢ in 2025), and the federal minimum wage was $4.25 an hour.
Songs that hit #1
11
Gallon of gas
$1.11
2025: $3.26
Inflation
3.0%
change in CPI vs 1992
$1 then is
$2.23
in 2025 dollars
Every #1 hit of 1993
| Song | Artist | First week at #1 | Weeks at #1 in 1993 |
|---|---|---|---|
| I Will Always Love You | Whitney Houston | Jan 2 | 9 |
| A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme) | Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle | Mar 6 | 1 |
| Informer | Snow | Mar 13 | 7 |
| Freak Me | Silk | May 1 | 2 |
| That's The Way Love Goes | Janet Jackson | May 15 | 8 |
| Weak | SWV | Jul 10 | 2 |
| Can't Help Falling In Love (From "Sliver") | UB40 | Jul 24 | 7 |
| Dreamlover | Mariah Carey | Sep 11 | 8 |
| I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) | Meat Loaf | Nov 6 | 5 |
| Again | Janet Jackson | Dec 11 | 2 |
| Hero | Mariah Carey | Dec 25 | 1 |
Weeks are counted within 1993; a song that carried over from 1992 or into 1994 shows only its 1993 weeks.
What things cost in 1993
| Item | 1993 price | In 2025 dollars | Actual 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallon of regular gas | $1.11 | $2.47 | $3.26 |
| Dozen large eggs | $0.91 | $2.03 | $4.25 |
| Loaf of white bread (per lb) | $0.75 | $1.68 | $1.87 |
| Ground beef (per lb) | $1.57 | $3.50 | $6.09 |
| Whole chicken (per lb) | $0.89 | $1.98 | $2.06 |
| Bacon (per lb) | $1.93 | $4.30 | $7.02 |
| Ground coffee (per lb) | $2.47 | $5.51 | $8.18 |
| Bananas (per lb) | $0.44 | $0.98 | $0.65 |
| Sugar (per lb) | $0.41 | $0.90 | $1.02 |
| Potatoes (per lb) | $0.35 | $0.78 | $0.96 |
| Flour (per lb) | $0.23 | $0.52 | $0.56 |
| Electricity (per kWh) | $0.09 | $0.21 | $0.18 |
| Federal minimum wage (per hour) | $4.25 | $9.47 | $7.25 |
| Median new home sale price | $126,500 | $281,921 | $415,400 |
| First-class stamp | 29¢ | 65¢ | 73¢ |
Compare 1993 prices with any amount → · Find the #1 song on any day in 1993 →
The internet in 1993
Websites in existence
130
June 1993 · Netcraft / Internet Live Stats
Americans online
2.3%
World Bank, via FRED
- 1993Mosaic puts pictures on the page — NCSA Mosaic shows images right next to text and runs on ordinary PCs and Macs. Web traffic explodes. source
- April 30, 1993CERN gives the web away — CERN puts the World Wide Web software in the public domain, free for anyone to use and build on. source
- July 5, 1993"Nobody knows you're a dog" — The New Yorker runs Peter Steiner's cartoon of a dog at a computer, still the most reprinted cartoon in the magazine's history. source
