Minnesota Prices Then And Now, From Milk To Movie Tickets

It's hard to realize just how expensive some things are, compared to years ago. I took a look at 7 different 'Minnesota' things to see how much they cost on average in 2016 and what people are paying in 2026. Unsurprisingly, most items now cost about twice as much as they did a decade ago.

Those Were The Days

What were you doing in 2016? Did you get married? Start a family? Buy your first house? Maybe you were still in high school, and you got your first car.

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Whatever you were doing, you probably remember buying some of these things, and you might be surprised by how much they cost us today.

Regular Gasoline

What were we paying on average at the pump 10-years ago? On average, gas prices were about $1 less, averaging around $2.20/gallon. That's an increase of 45%.

Movie Ticket (Minnesota average)

2016 was a big year for films; the top films of the year were Captain America: Civil War, followed by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Finding Dory. Chances are pretty good you spent maybe a few hours at the movies in 2016; the average ticket cost for Minnesota 10 years ago was $8.75. Now a movie ticket will cost you, on average, $12.50, or an increase of 43%.

Minnesota State Fair Adult Admission

The Great Minnesota Get-Together a decade ago was a steal. It cost adults $11 to enter and spend all day seeing the best of Minnesota. From livestock to 4-H projects to mini donuts and poutine, you could have realistically brought $50 and been full, and maybe even have enough left over for a souvenir. This year, admission to the fair is $20, or an increase of 82%.

Gallon of Milk

If you've got a growing family, you know how quickly you can go through a gallon of milk. Back in 2016, a gallon of milk cost on average $2.75/gallon, and now milk is costing on average around $4/gallon. That is an increase of 45%.

Minnesota Resident Fishing License

Those who spend time out on the water know that the price to fish seems to increase every 2-4 years, and over the last ten years, Minnesota's fishing licenses have increased in price the least, by going up 36%. Back in 2016, it would cost you $22 to fish for the year; now that same license is $30.

Ground Beef (1 lb.)

There are alot of input costs that go into the price of ground beef, so it's no surprise that the price for a pound of ground beef has soared over the last decade. Back in 2016, a pound of ground beef cost, on average, $3.75/pound; now ground beef is averaging $6.25/pound. That is an increase of 67%.

Minnesota State Park Camping (Electric Site)

Camping can be one of the easiest and cheapest ways you can vacation in the land of 10,000 campsites. Over the last 10 years, the price of a camping site with electrical hook-up for your camper or RV has gone up 52%, costing about $38/night as compared to 2016's average cost of $25/night.

Are you surprised by any of the price increases? Did we miss something that you used to buy a lot of in 2016, and now you see the price, and you wonder how you afforded so much?

Tell Us You're From Minnesota (Without Saying You're From Minnesota)

We asked you to tell us you were from Minnesota, without actually saying you were from Minnesota. The results were very funny, and very Minnesotan -- ranging from comments about the weather and sports, to food and mosquitoes.

Gallery Credit: Pete Hanson