How much did things cost in 1952? (income adjusted)
These are prices of some sample items in 1952.
How much were these prices for someone on an average income in 1952? To get a feel for this, I have adjusted them for the increase in incomes from 1952 to today. You can see these adjusted prices in the column 'Income adjusted'.
| 1952 price | Income adjusted | |
|---|---|---|
| Gallon of petrol | 4s 3d | £21 |
| Pint of beer (bottled) [*] | 1s 9½d | £8.80 |
| 20 cigarettes | 3s 7d | £18 |
| Loaf of bread (white, unwrapped) [*] | 7d | £2.90 |
| Loose leaf tea [*] 4oz | 1s 1¼d | £5.40 |
| Sugar 1lb [*] | 7½d | £3.10 |
| Pint of milk [*] | 6½d | £2.70 |
| Butter ½lb [*] | 1s 6d | £7.40 |
| Cheddar cheese 1lb [*] | 2s 2d | £11 |
| Margarine 1lb [*] | 1s 4d | £6.60 |
| Lard 1lb [*] | 1s 6d | £7.40 |
| Eggs 1 dozen [*] | 4s | £20 |
| Potatoes lb [*] | 2d | 82p |
| Cabbages lb [*] | 4½d | £1.80 |
| Onions lb [*] | 6d | £2.50 |
| Oranges lb [*] | 1s ¾d | £4.90 |
| Cocoa lb [*] | 3s 8d | £18 |
| Coal - 1cwt [*] | 5s 2½d | £26 |
| Murphy V200A 12" television | £72 10s | £7,100 |
| Cossor Model 501 Silver Jubilee 'Melody Maker' radio | £19 2s 11d | £1,900 |
| Qualcast push lawn mower | 94/- | £460 |
| The Daily Mirror newspaper | 1½d | 61p |
| Average house price | £1,891 | £190,000 |
| Ford Anglia car | £313 10s | £31,000 |
| Ideal refrigerator | £49 14s 4d | £4,900 |
| Hoover washing machine | £42 7s | £4,200 |
| Hoover Junior vacuum cleaner | £24 | £2,400 |
Prices are in pounds, shillings and pence.
Some shops priced more expensive items in guineas. A guinea is one pound and one shilling or £1.05.
The income adjusted prices are based on the Bank of England's Three Centuries Macroeconomic Dataset Version 2.3 - 30 June 2016. I have updated the income figures based on the ONS: Series code KAB9, adjusted to bring the figures inline with the Bank of England's.
For a comparison of prices in 1952 adjusted for inflation see Infation adjusted prices for 1952
Read more:
By Steven Braggs, December 2021, updated May 2022
Comments