SortStack #269 — 2027-03-05
By price · Order from cheapest to most expensive.
- A Big Mac in the United States, on average $5.80
The Economist's 'Big Mac Index' uses this burger's price worldwide as a playful gauge of whether currencies are over- or undervalued.
- An Instant Pot pressure cooker $90
The Instant Pot was invented by a laid-off Canadian telecom engineer — it became so beloved that owners formed recipe communities millions strong.
- A top-spec Tesla Cybertruck $100K
At its 2019 unveiling, the 'unbreakable' armored glass windows cracked twice on stage when hit with a metal ball — Tesla's stock dipped the next day.
- The Mona Lisa's insurance valuation for its world tour in the Sixties $100M
It was the highest insurance valuation in history at the time — but the Louvre skipped the premium and spent the money on security instead.
- The production of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' $379M
It remains among the most expensive films ever made — partly due to star salaries and shooting on water, which filmmakers consider a budget black hole.
- The James Webb Space Telescope $10B
Webb's mirror is coated with about 48 grams of gold — roughly a golf ball's worth — spread across 18 hexagonal segments.