1999
15 different songs reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1999. The year opened with I'm Your Angel by R. Kelly & Celine Dion at the top, and Smooth by Santana Featuring Rob Thomas held #1 the longest — 10 weeks in 1999.
Prices rose 2.2% over 1998, a calm year by historical standards. One dollar in 1999 buys about what $1.93 buys in 2025.
A gallon of regular gas averaged $1.17, up 10% from 1998. In 2025 dollars that is $2.25, against an actual 2025 average of $3.26.
Mailing a letter took a 33¢ stamp (it is 73¢ in 2025), and the federal minimum wage was $5.15 an hour.
Every #1 hit of 1999
| Song | Artist | First week at #1 | Weeks at #1 in 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|
| I'm Your Angel | R. Kelly & Celine Dion | Jan 2 | 2 |
| Have You Ever? | Brandy | Jan 16 | 2 |
| ...Baby One More Time | Britney Spears | Jan 30 | 2 |
| Angel Of Mine | Monica | Feb 13 | 4 |
| Believe | Cher | Mar 13 | 4 |
| No Scrubs | TLC | Apr 10 | 4 |
| Livin' La Vida Loca | Ricky Martin | May 8 | 5 |
| If You Had My Love | Jennifer Lopez | Jun 12 | 5 |
| Bills, Bills, Bills | Destiny's Child | Jul 17 | 1 |
| Wild Wild West | Will Smith Featuring Dru Hill & Kool Mo Dee | Jul 24 | 1 |
| Genie In A Bottle | Christina Aguilera | Jul 31 | 5 |
| Bailamos | Enrique Iglesias | Sep 4 | 2 |
| Unpretty | TLC | Sep 18 | 3 |
| Heartbreaker | Mariah Carey Featuring Jay-Z | Oct 9 | 2 |
| Smooth | Santana Featuring Rob Thomas | Oct 23 | 10 |
Weeks are counted within 1999; a song that carried over from 1998 or into 2000 shows only its 1999 weeks.
What things cost in 1999
| Item | 1999 price | In 2025 dollars | Actual 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallon of regular gas | $1.17 | $2.25 | $3.26 |
| Dozen large eggs | $0.96 | $1.85 | $4.25 |
| Loaf of white bread (per lb) | $0.89 | $1.71 | $1.87 |
| Gallon of whole milk | $2.84 | $5.49 | $4.07 |
| Ground beef (per lb) | $1.45 | $2.81 | $6.09 |
| Whole chicken (per lb) | $1.06 | $2.04 | $2.06 |
| Bacon (per lb) | $2.55 | $4.92 | $7.02 |
| Ground coffee (per lb) | $3.43 | $6.62 | $8.18 |
| Bananas (per lb) | $0.49 | $0.95 | $0.65 |
| Sugar (per lb) | $0.43 | $0.84 | $1.02 |
| Potatoes (per lb) | $0.39 | $0.76 | $0.96 |
| Flour (per lb) | $0.29 | $0.57 | $0.56 |
| Electricity (per kWh) | $0.09 | $0.17 | $0.18 |
| Federal minimum wage (per hour) | $5.15 | $9.95 | $7.25 |
| Median new home sale price | $160,125 | $309,477 | $415,400 |
| First-class stamp | 33¢ | 64¢ | 73¢ |
Compare 1999 prices with any amount → · Find the #1 song on any day in 1999 →
The internet in 1999
- June 1, 1999Napster — Shawn Fanning releases Napster. Music sharing goes mainstream, and the record industry goes to court. source
See the web as it looked in 1999:
Yahoo! ↗Netscape ↗AOL ↗CNN ↗Amazon ↗Apple ↗Microsoft ↗The White House ↗GeoCities ↗Space Jam ↗eBay ↗Google ↗Napster ↗
Links open the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine at its capture nearest July 1, 1999.
