How much did things cost in 1955? (income adjusted)
These are prices of some sample items in 1955.
How much were these prices for someone on an average income in 1955? To get a feel for this, I have adjusted them for the increase in incomes from 1955 to today. You can see these adjusted prices in the column 'Income adjusted'.
| 1955 price | Income adjusted | |
|---|---|---|
| Gallon of petrol | 4s 6½d | £18 |
| Pint of beer (bottled) [*] | 1s 11d | £7.70 |
| 20 cigarettes [*] | 3s 7d | £14 |
| Loaf of bread (white, unwrapped) [*] | 7½d | £2.50 |
| Loose leaf tea [*] 4oz | 1s 8½d | £6.90 |
| Sugar 1lb [*] | 8d | £2.70 |
| Pint of milk [*] | 7d | £2.30 |
| Butter ½lb [*] | 1s 11d | £7.70 |
| Cheddar cheese 1lb [*] | 2s 6d | £10 |
| Margarine 1lb [*] | 1s 8½d | £6.90 |
| Lard 1lb [*] | 1s 11d | £7.70 |
| Eggs 1 dozen [*] | 4s 7d | £18 |
| Potatoes lb [*] | 3d | £1 |
| Cabbages lb [*] | 4½d | £1.50 |
| Onions lb [*] | 5½d | £1.80 |
| Eating apples lb [*] | 1s 1d | £4.30 |
| Oranges lb [*] | 11d | £3.70 |
| Cocoa lb [*] | 4s 6d | £18 |
| Coal - 1cwt [*] | 6s 8d | £27 |
| Penguin chocolate bar | 3½d | £1.20 |
| Bush TV53 14" television | 65 guineas | £5,500 |
| Ferranti M55 radio | 13½ guineas | £1,100 |
| Qualcast Panther push lawn mower | £7 7s 5d | £590 |
| The Daily Mirror newspaper | 2d | 67p |
| Average house price | £1,937 | £160,000 |
| Ford Anglia car | £511 | £41,000 |
| GEC refrigerator | 65 guineas | £5,500 |
| Hoover washing machine | 61 guineas | £5,100 |
| Invincible vacuum cleaner | £19 17s 6d | £1,600 |
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 1955 adjusted for inflation see Infation adjusted prices for 1955
References
[1] 'The price of tea', published in the Manchester Guardian, 7 February 1955, page 8
By Steven Braggs, December 2021, updated May 2022
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