What Could You Buy With $500 in 1996?
In 1996, the average cost of a new house was $118,200 and the average income was $36,300. The average monthly rent was $554, the cost of gas per gallon was $1.22, a U.S.postage stamp cost 32 cents, a loaf of bread cost $1.15, and the minimum hourly wage was raised to $5.15, according to The People History.
The average cost of a new car was $16,300.00, Denzel Washington was People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive,” and the hip-hop community was shaken by Tupac Shakur’s untimely death that was caused by a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.
On a brighter note, in 1996, the Nintendo 64 was the gaming console to have. It was one of the first gaming consoles to introduce 3D to the gaming community, as Chemistry Cachet reports.
The game system initially launched with just two games available, which were Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64. The following year, Mario Kart 64 was released. The Nintendo 64 retailed at $199 back then. With $500, you could buy a Nintendo 64 along with Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64 could be purchased, with some money left over for a few games. Back then, movie tickets were between $4 and $5 so you could throw in a bunch of movies, as well as a handful of CDs, which retailed for $17.98 back then.