15 Things You Could Buy for Under $1 in the 1950s

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Average price in the 1950s: 27 cents

Adjusted for 2025 inflation: $3.25

Imagine. Just imagine.  

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.  

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. 

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. 

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? 

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.