Practically Free
Ah, how things used to be cheaper. Like, truly cheaper. It’d be nice to go back to the days of what things cost in the 1950s, wouldn’t it? There was so much you could buy without even breaking a dollar, things that cost far more than that today.
We’re talking about prices over the course of a decade, across a country of 150 million people, so none of these are exact. That said, take a look at these 15 things that on average cost less than a buck in the ‘50s.
Dozen Eggs
Average price in the 1950s: 60 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: $7.22
Woulda been nice this year, eh? Even after the surge price cooled down, eggs today still aren’t cheap.
Scoop of Ice Cream
Average price in the 1950s: 5-20 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: $0.60 -$2.41
This one varied, with department stores like Woolworth’s offering 5 cent scoops and some specialty soft serve shops selling cones for 20 cents. Either way, the world’s most delicious treat cost less than a quarter in those days.
Movie Ticket
Average price in the 1950s: 45 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: $5.42
It was usually less than 50 cents to see a movie in the ‘50s, which meant that two tickets to “Lady and the Tramp” was a cheap date.
Coca-Cola
Average price in the 1950s: 5 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: 60 cents
Only a nickel for Coca-Cola in the ‘50s? I had a hard enough time controlling myself with a dollar bill when I was growing up. If that perfect, amber nectar was only five cents I would have been in serious trouble.
Gallon of Gas
Average price in the 1950s: 27 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: $3.25
Imagine. Just imagine.
School Lunch
Average price in the 1950s: 25 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: $3.01
Meatloaf, chili, cinnamon rolls, and sausage shortcake were all common parts of a ‘50s school cafeteria. Send your kid off to school with a quarter, and they’d be feasting.
Loaf of Bread
Average price in the 1950s: 15 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: $1.81
Good bread is worth paying for, but today a nice loaf of good bread can cost as much as $5. Wonderbread was huge around then, and most kids that weren’t eating a 25 cent school lunch were probably eating a Wonderbread sandwich.
Pay Phone Call
Average price in the 1950s: 5 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: 60 cents
Pay phones today, if you can spot one, are still about 50 cents. That’s a relief.
Toothpaste
Average price in the 1950s: 50 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: $6.02
Toothpaste is only about $2 today for a basic tube, but it’s nice to know you could spend that in the ‘50s and grab enough paste for your whole family.
Bus Ticket
Average price in the ’50s: 10-15 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: $1.20-$1.81
Bus tickets varied throughout the country of course, but major city buses in places like New York often cost only a dime. Depending on the city, tickets today would only cost a buck or two when adjusted for inflation.
Bar of Soap
Average price in the 1950s: 10-15 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: $1.20-1.81
The soap industry today is nothing like the soap industry in the 50s; back then, its main use was to get dirt off of you and not much more.
Coffee
Average price in the 1950s: 5-10 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: $0.60-$1.20
Coffee was generally 10 cents throughout the 50s, but a nickel cup was never too hard to track down a classic nickel cup from a local diner.
Stamps
Average price in the 1950s: 3 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: 36 cents
Considering the astronomical rate that some of these other things rose at, does it feel like 3 cents is a little on the expensive side? A Forever Stamp is only 73 cents today.
An Entire Meal at In-N-Out Burger
Average price in the 1950s: 55 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: $6.62
Thirty cents for a cheeseburger, 15 cents for fries, and 10 cents for a drink. For the quality and the time, this had to be the best value … on the planet?
Box of Matches
Average price in the 1950s: 5 cents
Adjusted for 2025 inflation: 60 cents
Matches are still extremely cheap today (if you’re my dad, they’re free from any restaurant), but a whole box only ran you five cents back in the 1950s.
This article was originally published on Cheapism
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