How much did things cost in 1953? (income adjusted)

These are prices of some sample items in 1953.

How much were these prices for someone on an average income in 1953? To get a feel for this, I have adjusted them for the increase in incomes from 1953 to today. You can see these adjusted prices in the column 'Income adjusted'.

1953 priceIncome adjusted
Gallon of petrol4s 6½d£21
Pint of beer [*]1s 10d (bottled)£8.50
20 cigarettes [*]3s 7d£17
Loaf of bread (white, unwrapped) [*]7½d£2.90
Loose leaf tea [*] 4oz1s 2½d£5.60
Sugar 1lb [*]7½d£2.90
Pint of milk [*]7d£2.70
Butter ½lb [*]1s 8d£7.70
Cheddar cheese 1lb [*]2s 2d£10
Margarine 1lb [*]1s 6d£7
Lard 1lb [*]1s 8d£7.70
Eggs 1 dozen [*]4s 3½d£20
Potatoes lb [*]2d77p
Cabbages lb [*]3¼d£1.30
Onions lb [*]4¾d£1.80
Eating apples lb [*]11½d£4.40
Oranges lb [*]10d£3.90
Cocoa lb [*]3s 8d£17
Coal - 1cwt [*]5s 5½d£25
Bush TV32 14" television 60 guineas£5,800
Regentone A133 radio 19 guineas£1,800
Qualcast push lawn mower94s£440
The Daily Mirror newspaper1½d58p
Average house price£1,881£170,000
Ford Anglia car£511£47,000
Astral refrigerator38 guineas£3,700
Hoover washing machine£49 17s£4,600
Hoover cylinder vacuum cleaner£20 4s 3d£1,900

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 1953 adjusted for inflation see Infation adjusted prices for 1953

Read more:

By Steven Braggs, December 2021, updated May 2022

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