1996
9 different songs reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1996. The year opened with One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men at the top, and Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) by Los Del Rio held #1 the longest — 14 weeks in 1996.
Prices rose 2.9% over 1995, a calm year by historical standards. One dollar in 1996 buys about what $2.05 buys in 2025.
A gallon of regular gas averaged $1.23, up 7% from 1995. In 2025 dollars that is $2.53, against an actual 2025 average of $3.26.
Mailing a letter took a 32¢ stamp (it is 73¢ in 2025), and the federal minimum wage was $4.38 an hour.
Every #1 hit of 1996
| Song | Artist | First week at #1 | Weeks at #1 in 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|
| One Sweet Day | Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men | Jan 6 | 11 |
| Because You Loved Me (From "Up Close & Personal") | Celine Dion | Mar 23 | 6 |
| Always Be My Baby | Mariah Carey | May 4 | 2 |
| Tha Crossroads | Bone Thugs-N-Harmony | May 18 | 8 |
| How Do U Want It/California Love | 2Pac Featuring K-Ci And JoJo | Jul 13 | 2 |
| You're Makin' Me High/Let It Flow | Toni Braxton | Jul 27 | 1 |
| Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) | Los Del Rio | Aug 3 | 14 |
| No Diggity | BLACKstreet (Featuring Dr. Dre) | Nov 9 | 4 |
| Un-Break My Heart | Toni Braxton | Dec 7 | 4 |
Weeks are counted within 1996; a song that carried over from 1995 or into 1997 shows only its 1996 weeks.
What things cost in 1996
| Item | 1996 price | In 2025 dollars | Actual 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallon of regular gas | $1.23 | $2.53 | $3.26 |
| Dozen large eggs | $1.11 | $2.27 | $4.25 |
| Loaf of white bread (per lb) | $0.88 | $1.80 | $1.87 |
| Gallon of whole milk | $2.62 | $5.38 | $4.07 |
| Ground beef (per lb) | $1.37 | $2.81 | $6.09 |
| Whole chicken (per lb) | $0.97 | $2.00 | $2.06 |
| Bacon (per lb) | $2.47 | $5.08 | $7.02 |
| Ground coffee (per lb) | $3.43 | $7.04 | $8.18 |
| Bananas (per lb) | $0.49 | $1.01 | $0.65 |
| Sugar (per lb) | $0.42 | $0.86 | $1.02 |
| Potatoes (per lb) | $0.38 | $0.78 | $0.96 |
| Flour (per lb) | $0.29 | $0.59 | $0.56 |
| Electricity (per kWh) | $0.09 | $0.19 | $0.18 |
| Federal minimum wage (per hour) | $4.38 | $8.98 | $7.25 |
| Median new home sale price | $140,250 | $287,871 | $415,400 |
| First-class stamp | 32¢ | 66¢ | 73¢ |
Compare 1996 prices with any amount → · Find the #1 song on any day in 1996 →
The internet in 1996
- July 4, 1996Hotmail launches — Free web-based email you can check from any computer. It signs up millions of users within a year. source
- November 1996ICQ: "Uh-oh!" — Israeli company Mirabilis releases ICQ, the first instant messenger most people ever used. source
See the web as it looked in 1996:
Yahoo! ↗Netscape ↗AOL ↗CNN ↗Amazon ↗Apple ↗Microsoft ↗The White House ↗GeoCities ↗Space Jam ↗
Links open the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine at its capture nearest July 1, 1996.
![Walt Disney World - 25th Anniversary Commercial [1996 Toy Story VHS]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fF6VDP_2Eqc/hqdefault.jpg)
