How much did things cost in 1959? (income adjusted)
These are prices of some sample items in 1959.
How much were these prices for someone on an average income in 1959? To get a feel for this, I have adjusted them for the increase in incomes from 1959 to today. You can see these adjusted prices in the column 'Income adjusted'.
| 1959 price | Income adjusted | |
|---|---|---|
| Pint of beer (bottled) [*] | 1s 10d | £6.10 |
| 20 cigarettes [*] | 3s 11d | £13 |
| Loaf of bread (white, unwrapped) [*] | 11d | £3 |
| Loose leaf te a [*] 4oz | 1s 8d | £5.50 |
| Sugar 1lb [*] | 8d | £2.20 |
| Pint of milk [*] | 8d | £2.20 |
| Butter ½lb [*] | 2s 2d | £7.20 |
| Cheddar cheese 1lb [*] | 3s 5d | £11 |
| Margarine 1lb [*] | 1s 8½d | £5.60 |
| Lard 1lb [*] | 1s 4½d | £4.50 |
| Eggs 1 dozen [*] | 2s 3½d | £7.60 |
| Potatoes lb [*] | 3½d | 96p |
| Cabbages lb [*] | 5½d | £1.50 |
| Onions lb [*] | 6d | £1.60 |
| Eating apples lb [*] | 1s | £3.30 |
| Oranges lb [*] | 1s | £3.30 |
| Ground coffee 8oz [*] | 3s 9d | £12 |
| Cocoa lb [*] | 4s 6d | £15 |
| Coal - 1cwt [*] | 7s 6d | £25 |
| Ekco 17" television | 65 guineas | £4,500 |
| Cossor 1300T transistor radio | 18½ guineas | £1,300 |
| Qualcast Panther push lawn mower | £8 12s 6d | £570 |
| The Daily Mirror newspaper | 2½d | 69p |
| Average house price | £2,124 | £140,000 |
| Ford Anglia car | £589 | £39,000 |
| Candy Bi-Matic Twin Tub washing machine | 85 guineas | £5,900 |
| Vactric vacuum cleaner | 7 guineas | £490 |
| Bic Crystal ballpoint pen | 1s | £3.30 |
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 1959 adjusted for inflation see Infation adjusted prices for 1959
By Steven Braggs, December 2021, updated May 2022
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