Why Does AriZona Iced Tea Still Cost 99 Cents?
By the Price Time Machine team · Updated
The AriZona Iced Tea price was 99 cents when AriZona launched its first teas in 1992, and the can still says 99 cents today. Adjusted for inflation, 99 cents from 1992 is about $2.38 in September 2026 money, roughly 2.4 times the original price.
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AriZona Iced Tea (big can) at a glance
- US launch price
- $0.99
- In today’s money
- ≈ $2.381992 average (launch month not known) to September 2026 (CPI-U, BLS)
- US launch year
- 1992
- Where the company was based
- Brooklyn, United StatesAriZona's founders, John Ferolito and Don Vultaggio, started out as beer and soda distributors in Brooklyn, New York.
- Category
- Food & drinks
- Price source
- en.wikipedia.org
Today’s price is the US launch price adjusted for US inflation with the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, comparing the launch month with the latest published month. It updates automatically as new figures come out.
Why is AriZona still 99 cents?
The suggested price is printed right on the can, and AriZona has kept it at 99 cents in the United States for more than 30 years, despite rising costs and inflation. In Canada the can says C$1.50.
The AriZona Iced Tea price in today’s money
Inflation means a dollar buys less today than it did in 1992. Using the US Consumer Price Index, the original AriZona Iced Tea price of $0.99 works out at about $2.38 in September 2026 money, around 2.4 times the original figure. That is what the same amount of spending power would cost now, not what the AriZona Iced Tea sells for second-hand.
Where did AriZona Iced Tea come from?
AriZona began in Brooklyn, New York. In 1971, friends John Ferolito and Don Vultaggio started a drinks distribution business there, delivering cut-price beer and soda to Brooklyn homes and shops from a Volkswagen bus. They later made their own malt liquors.
In 1990, seeing the success of Snapple, they decided to make their own iced tea. In 1994 the company moved from Brooklyn to Woodbury, on Long Island, where it is still based.
Why is it called AriZona?
Vultaggio first wanted to call it Santa Fe, after his adobe-style house, but felt it did not look right on the can. He chose Arizona even though he had never been there, and had not even travelled west of the Mississippi River.
When was AriZona Iced Tea released?
- First AriZona teas: 1992
- Sold in more than 30 states: by mid-1993
- Sold in all 50 states: by the end of 1994
- In national retail chains: 1997
AriZona facts you might not know
- Sales grew from an estimated $10 to $20 million in 1992 to about $300 million a year by the end of 1994.
- The can designs came from Vultaggio’s wife, Eileen: her water cooler inspired the lemon tea can, and her perfume bottle helped inspire the green tea design.
- AriZona is now the best-known seller of the Arnold Palmer, a mix of iced tea and lemonade.
Frequently asked questions
How much did AriZona Iced Tea cost in 1992?
The AriZona Big Can had a printed price of 99 cents when the first AriZona teas came out in 1992.
How much is 99 cents from 1992 worth today?
Adjusted for US inflation, 99 cents from 1992 is about $2.38 in September 2026 money.
Is AriZona Iced Tea still 99 cents?
Yes. The suggested US price printed on the Big Can is still 99 cents.
Where is AriZona Iced Tea from?
It began in Brooklyn, New York, and the company is now based in Woodbury, on Long Island, New York.
Want to compare the AriZona Iced Tea price with other launch prices? See what the TRS-80 cost, browse more famous launch prices, or play this question in Price Time Machine.
Sources
Launch prices and dates are checked against the sources below. Today’s price is calculated from official US inflation data and updates automatically when new figures are published.
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