How much did things cost in 1961?
These are prices of some sample items in 1961.
How much were these prices for someone on an average income in 1961? To get a feel for this, I have adjusted them for the increase in incomes from 1961 to today. You can see these adjusted prices in the column 'Income adjusted'.
| 1961 price | Income adjusted | |
|---|---|---|
| Gallon of petrol | 4s 11d | £14 |
| Pint of beer | 2s ½d | £5.80 |
| 20 cigarettes | 4s 6d | £13 |
| Pint of milk | 8d | £2 |
| Large loaf of bread | 1s 1½d | £3.30 |
| Cossor CR1602 reel-to-reel tape recorder | £38 17s | £2,300 |
| 17" GEC black & white TV (Currys) | 49 guineas | £3,000 |
| Morphy-Richards hair drier | £3 10s 8d | £210 |
| The Daily Mirror newspaper | 2½d to 3d | 61p to 73p |
| Average house price | £2,440 | £140,000 |
| Britvic orange juice - 6 fl. oz. can | 10-11d | £2.40-£2.70 |
| Ford Anglia car | £606 | £35,000 |
| Tricity Kitchen Cold Junior refrigerator | 48 guineas | £2,900 |
| Creda Mercury Super Four - electric cooker | £61 19s | £3,600 |
| Flatley 104 washing machine with wringer | £17 17s | £1,000 |
| Boots Cologne bath size soap | 9d | £2.20 |
| Nescafé instant coffee (2oz tin) | 2s 10d | £8.30 |
| Men's nylon shirt (St. Michael) from Marks & Spencer | £1 15s 11d | £110 |
| Chips - 6 pence worth or 1 shilling's worth | 6d or 1s | £1.50 or £2.90 |
| Tri-ang Scalextric GP3 model car racing track | £8 18s | £520 |
The cost of buying a house on a mortgage was 6% in 1961. [1]
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 1961 adjusted for inflation see Infation adjusted prices for 1961
References
[1] 'Loans for Houses' published in Which? by the Consumers' Association, April 1961
By Steven Braggs, November 2021, updated May 2022
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