SortStack #1053 — 2029-04-27

By price · Order from cheapest to most expensive.

1. A pack of cigarettes in the US, on average $8.00

   Prices vary wildly by state taxes: a pack runs around six dollars in Missouri but can top twelve in New York.

2. A full tank of gas for a midsize car in the US $45

   About half the pump price of US gasoline is the crude oil itself — refining, distribution, and taxes split the rest.

3. A whole wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese $1.3K

   Italian banks accept Parmigiano wheels as loan collateral — one regional bank keeps hundreds of thousands of wheels aging in climate-controlled vaults.

4. The annual permit for the hot dog cart spot outside the Met museum in New York $289K

   Prime NYC park vending spots are auctioned by the city — the pitch outside the Metropolitan Museum has commanded more per year than most American homes cost.

5. One B-2 Spirit stealth bomber $737M

   Each B-2 must be kept in climate-controlled hangars to protect its radar-absorbing skin. Only 21 were ever built, each with its own name like 'Spirit of Missouri.'

6. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy's newest aircraft carrier $13B

   It launches jets with electromagnetic catapults instead of steam, and its two reactors are designed to run 25 years without refueling.

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